MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Sunday marks a three-year anniversary since Assange was granted political asylum by Ecuador.
3 years of #Assange asylum from US espionage case. Vigil at the Ecuadorian Embassy, London now. via @WISEUpAction pic.twitter.com/hA0zPMPRns
— Bean (@SomersetBean) 16 августа 2015
Dozens of people from the Wise Up solidarity network stood peacefully near the embassy with slogans "Don’t shoot the messenger – Free Assange," "3 Years 2 Long," and "Thank you, Ecuador," according to the Twitter account of the activist group.
London Metropolitan Police arrived at the site to ensure safety and security near the embassy, the activists noted.
The supporters also condemned Marianne Ny, Director of Sweden’s Public Prosecution, for having ordered the detention of Julian Assange on suspicion of rape in 2010. The Stockholm District Court then acceded to the order and issued a European Arrest Warrant to execute it.
The activists recalled the US charges against the whistleblower – espionage, conspiracy, theft of government property and violation of the computer fraud — under which Assange could in total face 45 years in prison.
Assange initially sought refuge in the UK embassy in response to moves by British authorities to extradite him to Sweden, where he stands accused of sexual assault and rape.
Assange launched the WikiLeaks website in 2006. Since then, the site has released millions of classified diplomatic documents from around the world on numerous espionage practices, war crimes, torture and many other human rights violations.
