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Neil Hall / Reuters
A police officer stands guard outside Ecuador's Embassy in London where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has taken refuge on June 22.
LONDON - Julian Assange will not leave his embassy refuge on Friday to enter a British police station as part of his extradition process to be questioned in Sweden about sex-crime allegations, a lawyer for the WikiLeaks founder said.
Assange, 40, has been holed-up in Ecuador's embassy in London since he made a surprise application for political asylum last week.
In a statement in front of the embassy, Assange's lawyer Susan Benn confirmed he would not comply with the police request to surrender himself and would remain in the embassy while evidence for his application for his political asylum is processed.
NBC News partner ITV News's coverage of Assange: 'Not going near a police station soon'
She said there is a "legal process in place which would involve Julian being taken to the U.S." if he is extradited to Sweden to answer rape allegations. It is "only a matter of time" before the U.S. attempts to extradite Mr Assange," Benn added.
Assange risks being arrested the moment he steps outside the red-brick building after breaching bail terms, keeping both his supporters and police puzzled as to what he might do next.
On Thursday, British police summoned Assange to a London police station, demanding he leave the embassy.
But Assange later told BBC television in a telephone interview: "Our advice is that asylum law both internationally and domestically in the UK takes precedence to extradition law, so the answer is almost certainly not."
UK police demand Assange leave Ecuador embassy
Police said they had formally "served a surrender notice upon a 40-year-old man that requires him to attend a police station at date and time of our choosing."
"He remains in breach of his bail conditions, failing to surrender would be a further breach of conditions and he is liable to arrest," the police statement added.
The statement, in line with British policy, did not name the person but media quoted sources identifying him as Assange.
WikiLeaks' Assange says Ecuador 'quite supportive'
The BBC reported the extradition unit delivered a note to Assange and the Ecuadorean embassy. The embassy declined to comment.
Assange denies any wrongdoing in Sweden and says he fears that if extradited there he could be sent on to the United States, where he could face criminal charges punishable by death.
Assange enraged Washington in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website published secret U.S. diplomatic cables.
Easily recognisable by his white-yellow hair, and known for his unpredictable behaviour, Assange caused a media storm in Britain with his asylum bid. Ecuador's ambassador has in the meantime flown home to discuss whether to grant him asylum but the decision has yet to be made.
By diplomatic convention, police cannot enter the embassy without authorisation from Ecuador. But even if Quito granted him asylum, he has no way of travelling to Ecuador without passing through London and exposing himself to arrest.
Msnbc.com's F. Brinley Bruton and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Well let the guy spend the rest of his life in the Ecuadorian Embassy.He can learn Spanish and some indigenous languages.He can joke with the beastly presidents of Ecuador,Venezuela and Iran.But of course there are limits to what he can do and say.And England can cut off relations with Ecuador and remove their ambassador in Quiito.and give the diplomats 36 hours to leave England.Solange will have no immunity and will be handcuffed for violating his bail and sent off swiftly to Sweden.Sweden is no great friend of the U.S and a puppet of noone.He will get a fair trial and can confront his accusers in Sweden..He is not a political prisoner as he is fighting serious sexual charges.Off to Sweden you should go!
He picked the right embassy to run to. Rape and sexual assault is a persistent problem in Ecuador.
Oh how the mighty(?) have fallen. Enjoy the rest of your time in an Ecuadorean Embassy. LOL!
I believe that Assange's fears about extradition to the U.S. are reasonable. As an American, I do not want to see him extradited to the U.S. no matter how people feel. Our society is based on laws, not emotions. I feel he did not commit any crime, however despicable for publishing confidential diplomatic cables. The person who committed the crime is Manning. Britain should let him go to Ecuador...I usually admire the Brits, but not in this case. Extradition to Sweden for such flimsy reasons is silly, and yet they allow a rapist and child molester from the US avoid extradition back to the U.S. to face his crimes. Just nuts.
If as you claim the charges against him were "flimsy", the Swedish government whould not have requested his extradition. Obviously, the government is confident in its charges. If he`s innocent, he should go home and answer those charges...as any person wishing to clear his name would do. As for his extradition to the States, while you might think his actions don't warrant extradition to the States, his actions have probably resulted in crucial national safety information being leaked.
There are no charges against him. He is wanted for questioning.
As for your comment "he should go home", well, he's actually from Australia, not from Sweden and your suggestion that he go to Sweden so that he can expose himself to being killed is laughable.
Sweden can easily finish this circus by promising that he will never be extradited, but of course, they won't, since that is the real reason to get him there in the first place. Or, if they really were serious, they could question him while he was being held by British authorities.
It's not about the flimsy rape charges. It's about killing him off.
Canadian, that's part of the problem, Sweden has NOT charged him. They requested extradition for QUESTONING, which proves its flimsy.
"Our society is based on laws, not emotions. I feel he did not commit any crime"
Jennifer,
There is no "our society". there are actually four societies involved here: The UK, Sweden, Equador and the US. If, as you say, our societies are based on laws, not emotions, then what possible difference does it make what you "feel"? He is accused of breaking laws in Sweden. He has also broken UK law by violating his bail conitions, fleeing custody and refusing a lawful police order to surrender himself. THOSE are the issues at hand. He is also accused of breaking laws in the US but that is not what the issue is here. Here's a thought (not a feeling)... Let's try to stop emoting and try thinking a little.
Hmm. If Ecuador grants him asylum, he can easily get out of the embassy. Diplomatic pouches include containers as big as shipping containers. Too, some nations have attempted to place people in one of these. As long as it is marked as a diplomatic item, it cannot be opened per the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. So that part is much ado about nothing.
Does seem, though, that this could easily be resolved if Sweden guarantees they would not extradite him to the U.S. I don't think he will get that guarantee as that is precisely what they would do.
While I'm all for the First Amendment, what he did has pros and cons relative to the release of information. On the one hand, governments and their practices are by and large corrupt. Secrecy breeds corruption. On the other hand, releasing information that can be proven to be potentially harmful to someone is not acceptable. Releasing information that is embarrassing to a government is totally acceptable (Pentagon Papers). Releasing information that discloses tactics, etc., in their dealing with enemies isn't. Where is the balance? Hide everything the government does or disclose everything the government does?
Tough call.
Odd how the UK is all hot to deal with Assange because he is wanted for questioning by Sweden. But there is a guy named Sullivan accused of raping a girl and molesting two others in Minnesota. They refuse to extradite him because the law will be too hard on him for his crimes.
It is a tough call. The problem is he didn't even try to filter or be selective about what he released. He didn't care if it cost lives, exposed ongoing operations, or provided aid and comfort to those who would harm us. He didn't even really care about govt corruption. He just did it because he could.
Would it not be a bit ironic if he tried hiding in a diplomatic container as to avoid extradition to the US under fear that he was going to be prosecuted for stealing diplomatic communications?
if all the cards were on the table, there would be no winners and no losers. Too many play the military games that end up killing millions and making very few, very rich. Is that fair ?
Lost in all of the rhetoric is the fact that at this time, Assange can't be extradited to the US because he hasn't been charged with any crime in the US. Not yet, anyway. Even if he is charged with a crime in the US, it's unlikely he would face the death penalty, because there's not a country in Europe that allows extradition to the US to face a possible death sentence. Prosecutors would have to agree not to seek the death penalty to get him extradited.
The US would be delighted to say : we will not kill this man, but they certainly could put him in jail for the rest of his life....simply because he hacked their computers. Who is at fault there ? the guys who were supposed to keep the system foolproof so start investigating within you own agencies..... How do you blame one smart guy for breaking in ? Constitutional rights....freedom of speech, freedom of the press.....
He decided to make a name for himself by releasing information classified by many governments. Seems to me he should now suffer the consequences for his decisions. But why the London police didnt keep him in custody is a mystery to me since he obviously was a flight risk! He enver should have been granted bail!
The only reason people want him to "suffer the consequences" is because he did it to us. Nobody cares that he released Syrian documents (most would probably call him a hero for exposing THEIR lies), and if he did it to Iraq or Iran, China or N. Korea he would be getting a parade. We need to recognize how hypocritical we are when dealing with these issues. It's GREAT when people in China expose their governments lies and corruption, but it's criminal when they do it to the U.S.
If he is cleared of charges in Sweden, he can still ask for political asylum.If he has to serve time,he can still do the same. Meanwhile he must face the charges.Sweden can´t promise that they won´t extradite him to the U.S in any circumstances.But Sweden is a country with a long history of fairness and justice..The sexual charges don´t seem to be flimsy.He must return to Sweden!
What charges would that be ??
Being charged with a crime vs wanted for questioning are two very different things , since he is in the latter group I don't see your point.
Do you even know what he is wanted for questioning on ? he had sex with two women but didn't have a condom with him at the time and they want to know if he anticipated having sex or not since if you anticipate having sex but do not bring a condom that is a sex crime in Sweden . Apparently it is the man's responsibility to bring a condom or the women would be potentially in trouble also but I guess being loose isn't a crime though .
Wiki-Liki Julian Assange, you upset the corrupt Republican corporate MONARCHY and they're going to get you for your expositions! Bad Boy!
Your comment is egregious. He is accussed of raping 2 women and you try to turn it into a political statement which would be completely asinine even without the rape accusations. When misfortune befalls you at the hands of another person I can only hope you are treated with the same respect and dignity you have given these victims.
And should we just ignore the fact that the man who says wiki leaks is just about the truth refuses to provide the truth? That he runs to a country that is one of the most repressive in South America? Could it be that the US doesn't even care about him but he is using this to avoid answering for his actions?
Quite a scum he is, this chicken-@!$%#! Drag him out by the hair and send him to the USA.
Just another typical leftist Democratic jerk with no back bone to stand up to his deeds.
COWARD. He is supposed to be the guy for more press freedoms and yet he chooses to try to hide in a country that is the opposite of what he stands for. He dropped his main principles real fast when his hide was at stake. What a pansy.
The women he raped need to tell the world how manly he really is.
Few posts, so few care any longer. Bottom line is U.S. wants him very badly. Charges in Sweden are questionable, but when this first came up I read their law and read the accusers statements to the police. He has consensual sex with gal pal 1. Leaves her pad and later has sex with gal pal 2. Gal pal 1 finds out, get's ticked off, and convinces gal pal 2 she has been raped. First case, alleges condom broke. So it wasn't consensual. Second case, alleges was sleeping, woke up to sex, and continued to have sex.
By U.S. standards, any prosecutor would not consider charges against anyone for consensual sex between two consenting adults. If you are in other countries, better keep your pants zipped up and read their entire criminal justice law to know the score beforehand.
No question this entire matter is being engineered to get him on U.S. soil. Whatever. The larger issue was the First Amendment and what information is truly classified and what isn't. Any government is going to call everything classified to keep it out of the public domain. Is that right? That's the entire issue.
He has all the dirt on the jews so is not long for this world
WTF?!?! I read that several times thinking maybe there's some sarcastic message-between-the-lines thing but there's only one line so I don't see it. Are you as moronic as your post sounds?
the only reason the USA wants him is because he made the gov't look stupid....a rape charge in sweden?? really??
Yeah Mike... Rape is illegal in Sweden too.
here say from one woman....how often do we see it here in the US when someone may gain something out of it ?
This guy should be tried for Treason.
what treason ? he is not military personnel. He is simply a smart guy who believes the world needs to know what is going on. Evidently the world is divided between smart people and brainwashed sheep.
Hey Mikey-840199, you’re completely deluded if you think Assange, as a non USA Citizen (he is Australian) is liable for committing treason against the USA.
Imagine if a foreign government; let’s say Iran for arguments sake, brought charges of treason against you because you posted documents deemed secret by said country for which you have absolutely no affiliation. Now a fan, you would not have; I would certainly advise on laying low for a long while, but treason, er, no.
Australia, on the other hand, could conceivably place a charge of treason against Assange if any documents “leaked”, were to be proved damaging to Australia’s national interests.
Believe it or not, the world is comprised of many countries and governments other than the USA; all of which all have their own laws, regulations and belief systems.
I am with him. It is beginning to look like a witch hunt and I would stay put, unless a convenient helicopter were to transport me to the nearest cargo transport from Ecuador. The English forces cannot shoot at any helicopter as they have no clue who is in there. When he gets tired of the walls of the embassy, it may be a way out. I am clueless as to that option, but if I were Assange, I would certainly consider it. To be on trial anywhere for whatever topic seems too risky. I would not take that chance if I were him. Too many jealous idiots trying to eliminate him.
Hey Mikey-840199, you’re completely deluded if you think Assange, as a non USA Citizen (he is Australian) is liable for committing treason against the USA.
Imagine if a foreign government; let’s say Iran for arguments sake, brought charges of treason against you because you posted documents deemed secret by said country for which you have absolutely no affiliation. Now a fan, you would not have; I would certainly advise on laying low for a long while, but treason, er, no.
Australia, on the other hand, could conceivably place a charge of treason against Assange if any documents “leaked”, were to be proved damaging to Australia’s national interests.
Believe it or not, the world is comprised of many countries and governments other than the USA; all of which all have their own laws, regulations and belief systems.
Why are we still hearing about this pasty faced, slimy little twit? He should have been in British custody, not walking the streets.
He knew what he was doing when he did it, he knew he would get into trouble so he should stand up and take it like a man! Quit being a pussy. He had the big hairy balls when he did it, where are they now? Here's another one, if you can't run with the big dogs then stay on the porch! He should have to answer for any laws that he has broken just like every other human on the planet. There are alot of pussy's out there.
He asks GB for protection. They give it to him. When it runs out. He refuses to leave. He's due in Sweden.