"The office of the ombudswoman of Ecuador, as a national human rights institution, is deeply concerned over the decision made by the Ecuadorian state to deprive Julian Assange of his citizenship and diplomatic asylum at the Embassy of Ecuador in the United Kingdom", Benavides said in a statement.
Benavides noted that although, according to the Ecuadorean Foreign Ministry, this decision was allegedly based on the principle of state sovereignty, "it is important to note that sovereignty is not absolute when human rights are at risk".
The ombudswoman stressed that the Ecuadorean government's decision could entail the international responsibility and set an alarming precedent for the protection of persons granted asylum and for Ecuadorians abroad.
Assange took refuge in the embassy back in 2012 after the United Kingdom granted his extradition to Sweden, where the whistleblower was accused of sexual offences, which he denied and called politically motivated. The charges were dropped a few years back.
