Ecuador Envoy Reshuffling Could Be Aimed at Revoking Assange Asylum - Lawyer

QUITO (Sputnik) – Ecuador’s decision to change its ambassador in the United Kingdom might be a part of a strategy aimed at annulling the asylum of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, the whistleblower’s lawyer, Carlos Poveda told Sputnik.
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"There has been a series of systematic actions. This dismissal may fit in the politics aimed at rescinding Julian Assange’s asylum," Poveda said.

Media reports said Thursday that Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno had signed a decree dismissing Ambassador Carlos Abad, known for his role in talks with London on settling Assange’s situation.

Ecuador Reshuffles Its Envoy to UK Amid Possible Assange Extradition - Reports
Sources in the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that Francisco Javier Llorca will work as the acting ambassador in the United Kingdom until the new head of the diplomatic mission is appointed.

Last week, Poveda suggested that Ecuador might have reached a deal with the United Kingdom and the United States under which Quito might extradite Assange.

The whistleblower has been remaining in the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK capital despite Sweden dropped charges against him. Assange has repeatedly suggested he might be apprehended outside the embassy and extradited to the United States.

READ MORE: Trump Says He Doesn't Know Anything About Assange Amid Alleged Secret Indictment

Earlier in November, WikiLeaks suggested that the US authorities might have brought sealed charges against Assange, citing a filing in an unrelated case that used Assange's name in an "apparent cut-and-paste error."

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