Ecuador's Correa says Assange may be in danger

Ecuador's Correa 'Afraid for Julian Assange's Safety'

Ecuador's Correa 'Afraid for Julian Assange's Safety'

"It will only take pressure from the United States to” withdraw protection for Assange said Correa.

Former Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa has warned that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's days are numbered at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

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Correa, who gave Assange asylum back in 2012, said that he's “afraid for Julian Assange's safety” due to the new government´s actions with regards to his case. He said that he believes President Lenin Moreno is likely “take away the support” previously afforded to the anti-secrecy activist.

“It will only take pressure from the United States to” withdraw protection for Assange and “surely it's already being done, and maybe they await the results of the Feb. 4 (referendum) to make a decision,” said Correa, in an article published by AFP.

When asked does he have evidence to support his claim, Correa said it's clear that Moreno “has no convictions, it's clear that he has yielded to the usual powerbrokers” and will “soon enough yield regarding the question of Assange.” The 54-year old economist added that the ambassador for the United States was shamelessly interfering in Ecuador's internal affairs, something “hadn't occurred during ten years” of his government.

Earlier this week Correa officially left the ruling PAIS Alliance, the leftist political movement he founded in 2006 and which he first rose to political prominence.

Having referred to Moreno as a “traitor,” someone who has called for an “unconstitutional” referendum that could spell an end to “democracy,” Correa went on to say that "they can rob us of Alianza Pais, but never our will and convictions. Despite the pain, this only strengthens us." More than two dozen other leaders and lawmakers have also resigned from the party, including Mauricio Proaño, Liliana Duran, and Esteban Melo.

The departing faction intends to start a new party called Citizens' Revolution, the phrase Correa often uses to describe his socialist movement aimed at reducing the nation's inequality.