Now Ecuador is reported to have agreed to grant Asylum for Julius Assange of Wikileaks.
And Britain has threatened to punish Ecuador ,including sanctions.
It is time Britain has stopped hanging on to the coat tails of the US and start acting independently as a Nation.
The grouse of the US against Assange is that he has exposed the US.
The trumped-up charge of rape is silly.
Is this the Britain who gave The Magna Carta to the World?
Where is France in this issue , a nation that gave Liberte,Egalite to the World?
Story:
Ecuador has granted asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange two months after he took refuge in its London embassy while fighting extradition from the UK.
It said there were fears Mr Assange’s human rights might be violated.
Foreign minister Ricardo Patino accused the UK of making an “open threat” to enter its embassy to arrest him.
Mr Assange took refuge at the embassy in June to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over assault and rape claims, which he denies.
The Foreign Office said the decision on Mr Assange’s application for political asylum would not affect the UK’s legal obligation to extradite him to Sweden.
It tweeted: “We remain committed to a negotiated solution that allows us to carry out our obligations under the Extradition Act.”
Political asylum is not available to anyone facing a serious non-political crime – such as the allegations levelled against Mr Assange.
But does his new status mean he can now leave his Swedish problems behind? No. Asylum does not equal immunity from prosecution – and Julian Assange needs safe passage through UK territory that he won’t get.
Mr Assange knows he can’t leave without risking arrest by officers waiting outside. The police can’t enter the embassy unless the government revokes its status.
Embassy vehicles are protected by law from police searches – but how could he get into an Ecuadorian car without being apprehended? And what happens after he’s in the car? At some point he will have to get out again. Stranger things have happened.
In 1984 there was an attempt to smuggle a Nigerian man from the UK in a so-called “diplomatic bag” protected from inspection. The bag was in fact a large crate – and customs officers successfully intercepted it at the airport.
The UK government will still seek to arrest him and it will not grant him safe passage. If he steps out, he will be arrested.
Announcing Ecuador’s decision, Mr Patino said the country believed Mr Assange’s fears of political persecution were “legitimate”.
He said the country was being loyal to its tradition of protecting those who were vulnerable.
“We trust that our friendship with the United Kingdom will remain intact,” he added.
The announcement was watched live by Mr Assange and embassy staff in a link to a press conference from Quito.
Outside Ecuador’s embassy in London, the BBC’s James Robbins said news was slowly spreading through Mr Assange’s assembled supporters and they were delighted.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19281492
Related articles
- Ecuador bristles at British ‘threat’ over Assange asylum (cbc.ca)
- Britain warns Ecuador over Assange asylum (thehimalayantimes.com)
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