Julian Assange Arrested at Ecuadorian Embassy in London
The Guardian – By Staff – April 11, 2019
Julian Assange removed from Ecuadorian embassy in London – video
What we know so far
Julian Assange has been found guilty of breaching bail in 2012 after being arrested at the Ecuadorean embassy in London on Thursday. He is to be sentenced next month.
The United States has requested the extradition of Assange and charged him with involvement in computer hacking with Chelsea Manning. The Metropolitan police said the arrest was made on behalf of the US authorities.
In reaction to the news, Donald Trump said “I know nothing about WikiLeaks,” adding, “It’s not my thing.” In the final month of the 2016 election, Trump mentioned WikiLeaks 164 times.
Theresa May welcomed Assange’s arrest saying it showed “no one is above the law.”
Chelsea Manning’s legal team argued that the year-old indictment against Assange meant she had been improperly held in contempt of court for declining to testify before a grand jury in his case.
Police were videoed forcibly removing Assange from the embassy at around at around 10.50am. Police had been invited into the building by the Ecuadorian embassy, where Assange had take refuge for almost seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.
The president of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, said he secured guarantees from the UK that Assange would not face the death penalty or torture. Justifying the move of handing him over to the British police, Moreno said: “In a sovereign decision, Ecuador withdrew the asylum status to Julian Assange after his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life- protocols.”
Assange’s supporters have condemned the arrest. Rafael Correa, who was Ecuadorian president when Assange was granted asylum, accused his successor of treachery.
Posted by Teri Perticone
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