Julian Assange: Ecuador will continue to grant asylum

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

17 June 2013 Last updated at 12:04 BST

Ecuador's foreign minister has said its embassy in London will continue to provide political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Ricardo Patino was speaking after talks with his UK counterpart, William Hague.

Mr Assange has been staying inside the embassy for the past year to avoid extradition to Sweden.

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Speaking via a translator, Mr Patino said: "The Ecuadorian government will continue to ensure that he continues with the protection we have given him under asylum in our country, protecting his life, his personal integrity, and particularly his freedom of expression.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22937293

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[struggle4progress]

2. UK says 'no progress' in Assange talks with Ecuador

Reuters
7:18 a.m. EDT, June 17, 2013

... "The two ministers held a bilateral meeting this morning for 45 minutes," the Foreign Office said in a statement. "Ministers agreed that officials should establish a working group to find a diplomatic solution to the issue of Julian Assange, but no substantive progress was made" ...

http://www.vagazette.com/news/sns-rt-us-britain-ecuador-assangebre95g0ao-20130617,0,5178529.story

[dipsydoodle]

4. I think you may find that our own news here in the UK is more accurate.

Guardian ticker now says : WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is prepared to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy for five years, Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patino has said. More details soon …

[struggle4progress]

5. Story I posted is from Reuters, which is an old European news agency

[backscatter712]

3. Good. At least someone's protecting him.

Can't say the same for the character assassination squad that infests DU. They're a black mold that poisons discussion here.

[loudsue]

9. True that. n/t

[George II]

6. I guess this story had to come out.........

........because Assange was jealous that Snowden was stealing all of his headlines!

[randome]

7. Maybe MTV will bring back Celebrity Deathmatch to showcase their competition!

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[msanthrope]

14. Snowden/Manning winner plays Assange/Ellsburg champion. That's three matches....Greenwald

can ref.

[dipsydoodle]

8. WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Prepared To Remain In Ecuador Embassy For 'Five Years'

Julian Assange is prepared to stay holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy for five years, the country's foreign minister has said, as Britain and Ecuador failed to agree over the WikiLeaks' founder's future.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/17/julian-assange-ecuador-wikileaks_n_3452925.html

[tarheelsunc]

10. What happens after 5 years? eom

[dipsydoodle]

11. Not sure he meant 5 years literally.

Was as good as saying indefinitely. Its not a bad place to be - Harrods food hall is just round the corner.

[Nye Bevan]

12. Not a whole lot different from being in prison.

And I assume that the time he is holed up in the embassy will not be credited against any eventual prison sentence.

[Hydra]

16. lol

Since they probably want to make an example of him, I don't think shaving time off life in prison or the death penalty will do him much good.

[msanthrope]

15. I'm betting he thinks the statute of limitations on the rape warrant/prosecution will

run by then.

[hack89]

18. Unfortunately for him, the statute of limitations doesn't apply

to known fugitives who have been accused of a crime and for whom the judicial process has begun.

[snot]

13. Thanks for the good news.

I suspect that Assange is continuing to do helpful work, which he could not do in a prison cell. See, e.g., these publications during the last year:

Prosecution and prison documents for Pirate-Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg (alias Anakata)
Public Library of US Diplomacy: Kissinger Cables
U.S. Detainee Policies
Syria Files

at http://wikileaks.org/

[boilerbabe]

17. good!!