Assange Granted Asylum in Ecuador

Thats right!

Washington Post link

"LONDON - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted asylum on Thursday by Ecuador, raising the possibility of a diplomatic showdown between British and Ecuadoran authorities. \t\t\t\t\t\tThe transparency campaigner has been holed up at the Embassy of Ecuador in London for nearly eight weeks after seeking refuge there in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sex crimes.



The British Foreign Office made it clear Thursday that Ecuador's decision does not alter Britain's intention of fulfilling its legal obligation to extradite Assange. “We shall carry out that obligation,” it said in a statement. “The Ecuadorian government's decision this afternoon does not change that.”


At a news conference in Quito, Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, said Ecuador had decided to grant asylum “because of the fears expressed by Mr. Assange, we believe that his fears are legitimate, and there are threats that he could face political persecution if the measures aren't taken to avoid them.”



Patino said Ecuador failed to get guarantees from Britain, Sweden and the United States that Assange would not be extradited from Sweden to the United States. His supporters believe he could be tried for espionage in the United States over his whistle-blowing Web site's release of hundreds of thousands of confidential military logs and diplomatic cables.



Firing off tweets, the British Foreign Office said it was “disappointed” with the decision. “Under our law, with Mr Assange having exhausted all options of appeal UK authorities are under binding obligation to extradite him to Sweden,” it said.
It's not clear what's next for Assange, who faces arrest the minute he steps foot out of the Ecuadoran Embassy for breaching one of the conditions of his bail, namely to check in at a designated address between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m."



Thats an excerpt from the article.


Also, the British government can "undo" the embassy, that way they won't be technically breaching the embassy's rights.

 

He hasn't even been charged with rape or sexual assault, they just want to bring him in for "questioning". (AKA extradition to the U.S.)

 

I'm confused as to why the US wouldnt just extradite him from GB though? I mean, the Swiss are definitely being sketchy but I'm confused about this. Maybe the US just wants him to go there, more slander and further ruin his public image, then extradite when there is less evidence?

 

[quote name='"iDontSmokeBlunt"']I can't wait till it comes out in a few weeks that Assange was snuck out in a guitar case or something, and is now living the high life as a High-Roller in Ecuador.[/quote]

I hope he has better plans than Ecuador, they're notorious for stifling free speech.

He's a smart guy, I hope he has something up his sleeve, and possibly knowledge of something the U.S. really doesnt want to get out, something worse than trapwire.

 

[quote name='"cball"']

he might have a piece of clothing, with Bill Clinton's semen on it...wouldn't want an ex-potus to get exposed as an adulterous pervert now would we...oh wait...were you thinking of something worse?.[/quote]

Obama's semen! He must be cheating, no way he has sex with the horse he is married to!

Edit: for anyone wondering why GB wouldnt extradite, they tend to not extradite anyone that could face the death penalty. Sweden wouldn't guarantee he wouldnt be extradited to the U.S.