THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks founder walked into the embassy and asked for asylum under the United Nations human rights declarationThe WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has sought political asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, sparking a new crisis in the tortured history of his extradition to Sweden.
Assange walked into the embassy in Knightsbridge and asked for asylum under the UN human rights declaration. He said: "I can confirm I arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy and sought diplomatic sanctuary and political asylum.
"This application has been passed to the ministry of foreign affairs in the capital Quito. I am grateful to the Ecuadorian ambassador and the government of Ecuador for considering my application."
The dramatic move follows a long-running legal bid by the whistleblower to halt his extradition to Sweden, where he faces sex crime allegations. Assange is currently on £240,000 police bail, and had been living with friends, a number of whom put together the bail payment.
An embassy statement said: "This afternoon Mr Julian Assange arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy seeking political asylum from the Ecuadorian government. 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 Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either the United Kingdom or Sweden." » | Beatrice Woolf | Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Legal crisis over Julian Assange's asylum request: Decision by WikiLeaks founder to seek political asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy throws legal process into turmoil » | Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent | Tuesday, June 19, 2012
EL TELÉGRAFO: Julian Assange pide asilo político a Ecuador: En su solicitud, el periodista australiano argumenta que requiere asilo "ante una lamentable declaración efectiva de abandono" recibida por las autoridades de su país. » | Martes 19 de Junio del 2012
