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Geoff Caddick / AFP - Getty Images
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is shown in December speaking to the media outside the High Court in London.
Updated at 4:17 p.m. ET: WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange has taken refuge in the Ecuador Embassy in London and has asked for political asylum, Ecuador's foreign minister said on Tuesday.
"Ecuador is studying and analyzing the request," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters in the capital Quito.
The Ecuador Embassy issued the following statement:
This afternoon Mr Julian Assange arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy seeking political asylum from the Ecuadorian government.
As a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights, with an obligation to review all applications for asylum, we have immediately passed his application on to the relevant department in Quito.
While the department assesses Mr Assange's application, Mr Assange will remain at the embassy, under the protection of the Ecuadorian Government.
The decision to consider Mr Assange's application for protective asylum should in no way be interpreted as the Government of Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either the United Kingdom or Sweden.
Assange faces extradition to Sweden for questioning over alleged sex crimes after Britain's top court said last week that it had rejected a legal request to reconsider his case.
Assange is wanted for questioning in Sweden after two women accused him of sexual misconduct during a visit to the country in mid-2010. His legal struggle to stay in Britain has dragged on for the better part of two years, clouding his website's work exposing the world's secrets.
In a brief, five-point judgment, the British court rejected arguments that Assange's legal team hadn't been given the chance to properly cross-examine the evidence that justices relied on to deny the Australian native's appeal against extradition.
Claes Borgstrom, the lawyer for Assange's accusers, told The Associated Press that Thursday's ruling is "an obvious and expected decision that has been delayed for too long."
The development effectively exhausted Assange's legal options in Britain, and he could be sent to Sweden by the end of the month. Assange could still apply to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, but legal experts say the 40-year-old stands little chance there.
The former computer hacker gained international prominence in 2010 when WikiLeaks began releasing secret video footage and thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables, many of them about Iraq and Afghanistan, in the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history.
That made him a hero to anti-censorship campaigners, but Washington was furious about the release of classified documents.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Didn't he go to Venezuela? Now he's back in London and wants t go to Ecuador? And he's in some kind of safe house in England right now? This guys a mess.
The ignorance on here by Fox News zombies is astounding.
1. Swedish charges are BS, he allegedly had sex without a condom when the "victim" thought he was wearing one
2. He didn't steal anything, he was GIVEN this information, so he's not a traitor and he's not a thief. We have no right to extradite him to the US, he's not a citizen. Oh, I guess we should put him on a drone kill list, then.
3. The New York Times published the same information so when are we going to try and hang them for this?
4. Assange is doing more to protect America with his leaks than any of you brain-dead right-wingers or most of our government, Obama included. That is not his goal but it helps America try to regain its former reputation if we DO SOMETHING about our current behaviors.
Will we? Or will you turn back to Fox News now so you can find out how to reply to this comment?
This isn't FOX .
Reads like it.
I'm not on Fox, nor am I a right-winger. I'm a registered Democrat. The US isn't extraditing him, Sweden is. If the charges have no merit, let him prove it. He may not be a traitor to the US, but the person who gave him classified information certainly is and should be tried for treason. The Rosenbergs were executed for less.
He's just an attention whore who needs to answer for what he has done. If he's done nothing wrong, then he has nothing to fear.
If he's done nothing wrong, then he has nothing to fear? You still believe, despite MOUNTAINS of evidence to the contrary, that the world is fair and just? Tell me another fairy tale, because that one is played out
Paranoia seems to run rampant amongst the followers of A$$ange....and conspiracies too.
Time for more meds, guys!!
By followers of assange your implying he's got some sort of political movement and/or god complex. Since this is pretty far from the truth anything following such a retarded statement is suspect. Perhaps YOUR meds have tun out.
What I meant by 'followers' is there seems to be a group that, despite facts and logic, still persist in claiming the US is so powerful so as to bend foreign governments and foreign legal systems to its will.
Actually, your liberal use of the term 'retarded' is quite offensive and very backwoods. There are many more terms that could be used to describe what I think you are attempting to say. Use them.
And yes, A$$ange does have a 'following'....its highly apparent to even the most naive of people...otherwise, who would these people be that 'flock' to hear him speak?
Despite the 'conspiracy theories', there are those that would like to see him face up to the charges that have been leveled; he is all about the TRUTH, right? Why does he now run from the truth, why does he not grab this opportunity to speak HIS truth?
Oh...I get it....he's all into airing other's truths (at least enough to get those dollars rolling in), not his own.
For Deb P. And who said that all the dummies are in the tea, republican parties? Democrats have also their fair share of mentally and purchased politicians. Why do you think that they call themselves blue dogs democrats? So they can vote with tea partiers, republicans for the 1%. The problem here and I agree with those that imply Julian Assange can't get a fair trial here or England or Australia, they have become partners in crime, and not just any crimes, but war crimes. Let an international tribunal judge him. Obama wants nothing more than to make him pay for "leaking" war crimes, government malfeasances to the world. Now, let me tell you what another hero for me, traitor for you, Daniel Ellsbergh did. He did the same, actually he revealed top secrets and he was facing 115 years in prison, but the courts in those times were not the rubber stamp of today, where nobody gives a rat's ass about the truth, the Constitution, but covgering up all crimes committed in our name and no, I will never give my consent to have someone, anyone imprison for defending the Constitution. Obama, last I checked promised transparency, but all we got for that baloney was more of the same that the retard pervert from Texas and mafia men did and in my book they are the true war criminals, not Assange, not Pvt Manning, and obviously not Daniel Ellsbergh. They are, at least in my book, true heroes, not the phony ones that get medals for being involved in an accident and then collecting, when they come back froma coma, medals galore that even Jessica Lynch knows she didn't deservfe, nor Pat Tillman. Pvt Manning swore to uphold the Constitution and obey orders from his higher ups, but that oath doesn't cover war crimes, even if Obama refuses to prosecute our war criminals. Why do you think that those that are guilty of war crimes were told never to show their immoral faces in Europe? Because if they do, supposedly they will put those war criminals behind bars. Obama should also be impeached because he is breaking the Constitution. I don't think the Constituion gives him the power not to prosecute war crminals, nor to be judge and jury in possible crimes committed by a U.S. citizen. Remember our motto: Innocent until proven guilty.
I'd say Assange is now showing his true colors. Yellow.
Yellow....just like the snow my cat-pissed-in.
He's wanted in Sweden over alleged sex crimes. A few nights in jail should give him a better prospective on life. LOL
This guy is areal piece of work! He must have one heck of a security team! He is still breathing!
Scumbag.
Equador? How did he pick them? That is not in the main stream of thinking.
No extradition treaty with Sweden. This guy is really afraid of prison....where they will put a dress on him, call him Julie and....
Instead of blaming Assange, blame the losers he exposed. Its their deeds that look bad, hes just the messenger.
Unless you approve of law breaking, murder, etc.?
BTW, the entire planet has been watching this, and the reaction of Americans and the American government to it. Just like the entire world can read these blogs, and do. America, and Americans, makes itself look bad on a constant basis, and theres no one to blame but yourselves for that. Whether its the rampant racism, or all the violence, or the exploitation. There are no secrets any more. You do it, you wear it.
this guy is a hero in my book.. he stands up and tells the lies that our governments tell and when the government gets caught lying and killing people and exposes the corruption they go after the whistle blower.. assange is hero.
let the isralies do a black ops on his a@@.
Julian is an amateur at leaks compared to the obama whitehouse.
The Whitehouse has been full of amateurs since 2008.
Yeah cause they've outed CIA agents they personally disagree with right? Like the treacherous Dick Cheney and butt buddy Scooter Libby.
I havent been folowing this mans case. Did someone see what he did wrong?
no one knows what the true situation really is especially after the CIA and other US assets fool with the evidence. remember the elsberg psychiatrist papers case (pentagon papers) during Vietnam. well Nixon did turn out to be a crook and Vietnam was a corrupt war. i would hold your mob mentality against this guy until we really know. i find it odd that the rape case was dropped then re-instituted.
From what I've heard the Swedish business is pretty much trumped up. Once mistress #1 learned about mistress #2 they got together and got in a snit about the fact that he had (consensual) sex with both of them during the same trip to Sweden. I doubt they could make any serious charge stick. My advice would be to go to Sweden and expose the whole business for the sham it is. But then again, I'm not the one who would have to do hard time if I'm wrong.
Last I checked this is MSNBC not Fox.
What a scum bag. Releases thousands of documents that very well probably sent men to their deaths, while he is out molesting 2 separate women. He wants the truth to be out there by governments, but he is not willing to face the truth of his own actions. What a craven coward.
No one has died because of these leaks.
He exposed massive corruption, murder, warcrimes by Western Governments and American troops.
He is my Hero for that.
How are you so sure? He was putting out information of collaborators.
Because if anyone had died, they would be reporting it. The U.S. government would give ANYTHING to make this guy the bad guy, but they cant. They cant even charge him with espionage, because hes a journalist.
He didnt do anything wrong except expose wrong doing. And he did it knowing the hell that would come his way, hes a hero.
The world is in a constant conspiracy against the brave. It's the age-old struggle: the roar of the crowd on the one side, and the voice of your conscience on the other.
Douglas MacArthur
He should end up dead somewhere with a bullet in him.
let him go to ecquador, just don't let him come back here
Hang him HIGH!
Freedom, you have got to be the biggest nut case of all times.
Why? because I dont let anyone slide for wrong doing,? I dont give a crap if it sinks the entire western world. You commit murder, and warcrimes, you need to be exposed for it, no matter the cost.
No one gets a pass from me.
I see the very, very rich and powerful have many of you sheep believing that what Assange did to the US was bhaaaaad. Expose our corrupt, why not??
No, that he is a craven coward and won't face his own possible corruption is why I dilike him.
BS you dislike him because he made your country look bad by exposing its wrong doings. Thats why you chose to ignore the fact he was obviously set up in Sweden. If you werent out to get him, you would look at the situation for what it is, honestly.
But its way easier and more convenient to ignore that, so you can bad mouth him, isnt it.
Actually, I 'dislike' him because he is behaving like a dickless wonder....
If the charges are trumped up, then let him step up and face his accusers - like a man. He's into the 'truth' right? He should have NO problem airing the truth and righting the wrongs that have been leveled against him.
All he has to do is return to Sweden and ANSWER SOME FREAKIN' QUESTIONS....!!
Its not hard, guys....unless you see so many conspiracies, secrets, lies, etc etc.... Its a wonder A$$ange can even use the bathroom alone, there's so many powerful governments out to get him.....
Effin loser....those that swallow without thinking....bigger effin losers.
You are mighty naive if you think hes going to get a fair trial... Or if "all they want is to ask some questions" yeah right.
He not dickless, hes just not stupid.
Naive is right!
What a coward.
He is another George Carlin. If you cannot get rid of embarrassment any other way have them charged with misconduct.
So the vast majority of you are not interested in knowing the TRUTH!!??....Telling the truth is now a crime? What's next, speaking out??....What ever happened to Democracy? Many of you here sound like fascists....I can see that you may disagree but calling for his death or spewing so much hatred is simply wrong. Unfortunately I think Americans are being brain-washed into ideology when it comes to reporting the news based on the facts...this man is a Journalist...and if reporting the truth is a crime...well, I lament our society..
We all care a great deal about the truth, but it can't be found here. This is the propaganda branch of Obama's "re-elect me & double down on stupid" campaign.
Right on sic vita est................oh, by the way, this is no longer a functioning Democracy. It is however, 'Crony Capitalism' (another form of Socialism) at its finest 20+ years in the making.
Member Only Please!!!
Wrong: This is just a blog where people give their opinions. You are just finding out that most people dont share yours.