MEXICO, August 20 (RIA Novosti) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange still has a right to political asylum in Ecuador, however, the resolution of the conflict depends purely on Britain, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said during a visit to Guatemala.
“The situation with Assange could be resolved as early as tomorrow if the United Kingdom gives him a pass to leave the country,” Notimex news agency reported, quoting Tuesday’s statement by Correa.
The Ecuadorean president claimed there are representatives in influential circuits, supporting capital punishment for Assange, which would be a violation of international law.
At a press conference Monday, Assange claimed he would leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London “soon,” without giving any further details. The WikiLeaks founder wants to be given guarantees that he will not be extradited to the United States once he leaves the embassy building, his lawyer Jennifer Robinson told ABC News on Tuesday.
A scandal around WikiLeaks emerged after the website published classified correspondence of US diplomats in November 2010. The documents contained, in particular, uncomplimentary notes concerning certain world leaders. Earlier, WikiLeaks also released tens of thousands of documents disclosing US military activities in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in central London since British courts ruled out in June 2012 his extradition to Sweden, where the whistleblower is facing sexual assault charges.
Ecuador decided to grant Assange a political asylum, however, British authorities are determined to accede to Stockholm’s extradition request. Assange has not been able to leave the embassy building for more than two years, as police officers have been stationed there around the clock, ready to arrest him.
