Sweden
denies Ecuadorian request to interview Assange in UK
The Swedish government has rejected a request by Ecuadorian officials to interview Julian Assange in the UK “without any meaningful explanation,” WikiLeaks announced today on Twitter.
The Swedish government has rejected a request by Ecuadorian officials to interview Julian Assange in the UK “without any meaningful explanation,” WikiLeaks announced today on Twitter.
RT,
31
July, 2012
Senior
Ecuadorian government sources had previously sent a formal request to
Sweden to facilitate questioning between Assange and the Swedish
prosecutor in his case at Ecuador’s London embassy, the UK’s
Independent reported last week.
The
government of Ecuador has sought
legal guarantees from
both the UK and Sweden that Assange will not be extradited to the
United States.
“If
Ecuador could be assured that the evil it wishes to prevent: The
extradition to the USA of Julian Assange, could be [avoided], then
that would be a just solution,”said
a senior Ecuadorian legal advisor.
Two
officials at the Ecuadorian embassy previously said they had yet to
receive an answer from either the UK or Sweden concerning any such
legal guarantees.
Ecuador
has also sought clarification from the US government on the question
of its extradition ambitions regarding Assange, though the advisor
acknowledged they were unlikely to receive an answer.
Assange
has been holed up in Ecuador’s London Embassy since June 19 after
claiming asylum following a failed 18-month legal battle to prevent
his extradition to Sweden.
Assange
is wanted in Sweden for questioning in relation to allegations of
rape and sexual assault, though he has never been formally charged.
The Wikileaks founder fears he will be extradited to the United
States on charges of espionage upon being handed over to Swedish
authorities.
Last
Thursday, Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said a decision
on whether to grant Assange political asylum would be made after
the Olympic Games.
Ecuador
maintains that they hope to be an “honest
broker,” and
adhere to international obligations regarding Assange’s asylum
request.
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