WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is rejecting Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno’s claim that he can leave the embassy with “near-liberty” after the UK agreed not to extradite him to any nation seeking to give him the death penalty.
Assange, who was granted political asylum by Ecuador in 2012, has been residing in the London Ecuadorian embassy ever since. President Moreno has not been as keen to protect him as the previous president, however.
The UK has not made any guarantees that they will not extradite him to the United States, where the Trump administration has made it a priority to prosecute him. In November, through a filing error, it was revealed that he has been secretly charged — but the government is refusing to unseal what the charges are exactly.
Last year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the arrest of Assange is a priority.
Headline should've been:
Moreno says Ecuador no longer opposes UK extradition of Assange
OR
Moreno set to ignore Inter-American Court's decision on Assange
OR
Moreno changes the goalposts on Assange asylum
OR
Moreno says US prosecution of its political asylee OK with him
— Hanna Jonasson (@AssangeLegal) December 6, 2018
On Thursday, Moreno announced the deal that he reached between Ecuador and the UK. In response, Assange’s lawyer Barry Pollack told The Telegraph that the deal is unacceptable.
Julian Assange rejects alleged UK-Ecuador deal (note date)https://t.co/9uzpiWLYl0
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) December 6, 2018
“The legal team have long argued that they will not accept any agreement which risks his being extradited to the United States,” the Telegraph reports.
“The suggestion that as long as the death penalty is off the table, Mr Assange need not fear persecution is obviously wrong,” said Pollack. “No one should have to face criminal charges for publishing truthful information.”
Here's the July 2018 Interamerican Court decision that Ecuador is set to violate in relation to Assange (see paras 177 onwards) in context of NYT report on Moreno-Manafort 'Assange in exchange for debt relief' story, and Moreno's statements to CNN today.https://t.co/vDABwkf0hy pic.twitter.com/NiPR3R7NsP
— Hanna Jonasson (@AssangeLegal) December 6, 2018
“Since such charges appear to have been brought against Mr Assange in the United States, Ecuador should continue to provide him asylum,” Pollack continued.
