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Assange
plans to leave embassy 'soon', no details given
Julian
Assange plans to leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in the near future, he
told a press conference at the embassy's London compound, where he's
been holed up for two years. The WikiLeaks founder gave no further
details.
RT,
17
August, 2014
"I
am leaving the embassy soon, but perhaps not for the reasons
[reported],"
he told journalists, refusing to clarify what his reasons are.
Speaking
at the conference, he recounted the ordeal of having to hide from
prosecution in a case where for four years no charges have been
leveled. This has led to a serious deterioration of his health,
including heart problems.
He
listed a host of reasons he believes to be at the center of the
injustice taking place in his situation.
"Throughout
this entire time I have not been charged,"
he spoke. "Europe
is meant to be a place where the rule of law is respected, where
basic rights are respected... but somehow a situation has developed
where basic rights that we have previously universally accepted are
no longer respected."
The
whistleblower continues to flatly deny any rape allegations, which
have not been backed up by any formal charges.
Ecuador's
Foreign Minster Ricardo Patino was was also present at the conference
to defend Assange. He spoke of the continuing efforts on the part of
Assange's legal team and the govenrment of Ecuador to bring the
situation to a close in a manner that satisfies both the Ecuadorian
and the Swedish legal systems. However, they have not come to
fruition.
He
saw Assange's stay at the embassy as "two
years of great uncertainty and lack of justice for everyone,"
because, while "the
effective legal protection of [the whistleblower] has been breached"
and no progress was made in the case, the same was true for the
Swedish women who are the alleged victims at the other end.
"We
continue to be ready to talk to the British and Swedish governments,"
Patino said. But "It
is time to free Julian Assange, it’s time for his legal rights to
be respected."
One
of the whistleblower's closing remarks was to question exactly what
kind of legacy US President Barack Obama would like to leave.
DETAILS
TO FOLLOW
Here is his full speech
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