Assang flees to Ecuadorian embassy and applies for asylum

Wikileaks leader Julian Assange, who has been threatened with extradition, has fled Ecuador’s embassy in London. According to Ecuador’s foreign minister, he has applied for asylum there. The country will ‘study’ the request.

Assange threatens to be extradited from the United Kingdom to Sweden after the British Supreme Court rejected all objections from Assange’s lawyers. A request to reopen the case was also not honored. The extradition procedure should start on June 28.

Assange has since fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in the British capital. Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño says South American country will study Assange’s request for political asylum, thus Reuters.

Assange is said to have written in a letter to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa that the authorities in his native Australia do not want to help defend his fundamental rights in other countries. Also, in Assange’s view, the Australian government would fail to fulfill its obligation to protect its citizens who are being persecuted for political reasons. The Australian also expresses the fear that he is in danger of being extradited to a country that still uses the death penalty for espionage and mutiny.

It is still unknown how Assange managed to reach the Ecuadorian embassy despite the ankle bracelet he had to wear. He would also not have revealed anything about his plans to the people who deposited money for his bail†

Assange is accused of a number of sex crimes in Sweden. The Wikileaks founder denies all allegations and fears that Sweden will only serve as a stopover in an eventual extradition to the United States. The 40-year-old Australian has been engaged in a legal battle for 18 months to avoid extradition.