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Assange granted asylum, but trapped in embassy


A tense standoff as the UK government makes noises about entering the Ecuadorian embassy in London and threatens to arrest the Wikileaks founder if he puts a foot outside. Inside the embassy, the scene is surreal:

NBR staff
Fri, 17 Aug 2012

Ecuador has defied Britain and granted Julian Assange political asylum.

The Wikileaks founder remains holed up in Ecuador's embassy in upscale Knightsbridge, London.

UK authorities had set a midnight deadline for his handover to face extradition to Sweden to face questioning over sexual assault claims made by two women.

But although he has been granted protection by the South American state, Mr Assange now faces the thorny problem of transporting himself there.

Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed Mr Assange will be arrested if he makes a dash for the airport, or otherwise puts a foot outside the Ecuadorian embassy. 

A safe haven – at least for him
"It was not Britain or my home country, Australia, that stood up to protect me from persecution, but a courageous, independent Latin American nation," Mr Assange told media after the decision, chosing to ignore Ecuador's poor record on human rights and press freedom.

Mr Assange fears he will ultimately be extradited to the US, where be believes he could face the death penalty for his role in Wikileaks' release of secret US government files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, in announcing asylum, said there was a real threat Mr Assange's human rights would be violated.

Storm the embassy?
Mr Pationo also claimed the UK government had made an "open threat" to enter the embassy and arrest Mr Assange. His government objected to "this explicit type of blackmail".

According to a BBC report, the UK Foreign Office warned, in a note, that it could lift the embassy's diplomatic status to fulfil a "legal obligation" to extradite the 41-year-old by using the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987.

But Mr Hague said there was no threat to storm the embassy. If his UK authorities did employ the Act, they would do so in accordance with international law.

A negotiated settlement remained the preferred option. It was expected to take some time.

Darkened room
According to a New York Times report, the WikiLeaks founder sleeps on an air mattress in a small office that has been converted to a bedroom.

He has access to a computer and the internet, and reporters outside the building have seen food being delivered from nearby restaurants.

His presence is a challenge for employees of the embassy, the Times says. The paper quotes a British government official, citing a conversation with a member of the embassy staff, who says the situation was surreal.

Mr Assange is said to spend much of his time in a back room, which gets no direct sunlight. At times he has appeared depressed.

Long time holed up
Mr Assange took refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London on June 20 and asked for asylum, nine days before his extradition to Sweden.

In a statement, the embassy said it would allow Mr Assange to stay while the Ecuadorian government considered his application.

On 14 June, Britain's Supreme Court dismissed a bid to reopen the Wikileaks founder's appeal against extradition.

Extradition proceedings had been due to start on June 28.

Wikileaks has hit headlines for releasing government documents on its website or to selected media, including thousands of classified diplomatic cables on the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr Assange has denied allegations of rape and sexual assault, which he says are politically motivated. 

Swedish prosecutors have not filed charges against the Wikileaks founder but applied for his extradition so they could question Mr Assange about allegations made by two Wikileaks volunteers in mid-2010.

"We are not a British colony," - Ecudorian protestors chant outside the embassy.

NBR staff
Fri, 17 Aug 2012
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Assange granted asylum, but trapped in embassy
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