Julian Assange of WikiLeaks soon to be expelled from Ecuador Embassy

[Val the Moofia Boss]

https://www.news.com.au/national/jul...cdf65b06987ef6

Julian Assange’s stay at the Ecuadorean embassy will reportedly end within “hours to days”, WikiLeaks has claimed.

WikiLeaks tweeted today that its founder would be turfed out of the embassy in London where he has lived for more than six years.

“A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told @WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within “hours to days” using the #INAPapers offshore scandal as a pretext — and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest,” the tweet said.

The news comes after the INA Papers website published allegations of corruption involving Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno.

WikiLeaks has told AP: “If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publisher’s asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind”.

In an interview broadcast by several Ecuadorean radio stations on Tuesday, Mr Moreno said Mr Assange had “repeatedly violated” the conditions of his asylum at the country’s embassy in London.

Relations between Assange and his embassy hosts have been deteriorating for months.

In October, Assange sued Ecuador for violating his “fundamental rights” by limiting his access to the outside world after his internet and mobile phone access were blocked back in March.

Ecuador’s government has accused him of breaking “a written commitment” not to interfere in its foreign policies.

“It is not that he cannot speak freely, it is not that he cannot express himself freely, but he cannot lie, let alone hack into accounts or intercept private telephone calls” under the terms of his asylum agreement, Mr Moreno said.

Mr Moreno’s comments come after the Ecuadorean government filed a formal complaint to the UN special rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci, accusing WikiLeaks of spreading private information linked to Mr Moreno.

Photos, videos and private conversations appeared on portals such as Twitter and Facebook.

Mr Moreno was also forced to deny allegations of corruption which surfaced on the website inapapers.org, with the president claiming he knew who was responsible for the accusations.

Assange sought refuge at the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced accusations of sexual assault that prosecutors in Stockholm have since abandoned.

He has refused to leave the embassy to avoid extradition to the United States to face charges over his website publishing huge caches of hacked State Department and Pentagon files in 2010.

The Australian denies the rape claims, and said he feared Sweden would pass him on to US authorities if he was extradited. The Swedish chief prosecutor dropped proceedings against him in 2017 because going ahead and serving notice of charges would necessitate Assange’s presence in court.

Mr Moreno reiterated Tuesday that the government continues “to seek a solution” to Assange’s situation.

UPDATE 4/11/2019

He was arrested.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/ecuado...d-by-uk-police

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for aiding Chelsea Manning in the cracking of a password to a classified U.S. government computer in 2010, the U.S. Justice Department announced hours after Assange's arrest in London.

Assange is accused of engaging in a conspiracy with Manning, the former U.S. Army analyst, in breaking a password stored on a U.S. Defense Department computer connected to a U.S. government computer network for classified documents and communications, the Justice Department said. Manning later transmitted a trove of classified government files to Assange, whose website posted the materials to a worldwide audience. Cracking the password allowed Manning to use a different username "rather than her own,” officials said.

“During the conspiracy, Manning and Assange engaged in real-time discussions regarding Manning’s transmission of classified records to Assange,” the Justice Department said. “The discussions also reflect Assange actively encouraging Manning to provide more information. During an exchange, Manning told Assange that ‘after this upload, that’s all I really have got left.’ To which Assange replied, ‘curious eyes never run dry in my experience.’"

Assange faces a maximum of five years in prison if he’s convicted of the charge.

He pleaded innocent to a separate charge of failing to surrender to a Swedish court and skipping bail while in a British courtroom. However, the court found him guilty of breaching his bail conditions

Earlier Thursday, Assange was carried out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in the arms of British police, who arrested him in a dramatic scene that ended Assange's nearly 7-year stay at the embassy -- and left the world watching to see if the anti-secrecy site would retaliate.

Moments before the stunning arrest, Ecuador announced it had withdrawn Assange's asylum for “repeatedly violating international conventions and protocol.”

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno described the decision to withdraw Assange’s asylum as a “sovereign decision” because of his alleged repeated violations.

“Today I announce that the discourteous and aggressive behavior of Mr. Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declarations of its allied organization, against Ecuador, and especially the transgression of international treaties, have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr. Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable,” Moreno said in a video statement posted on Twitter.

Video of Assange’s arrest showed him with a full white beard, holding an unidentified magazine and yelling something to reporters, though it was unclear what he said.

Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Jose Valencia told Teleamazonas this week that living in the embassy indefinitely is bad for Assange’s "state of mind, his health,” but that Assange has a right to a fair trial and right to a defense.

London's Metropolitan Police vowed earlier this month to arrest the 47-year-old Australian native if he left the embassy. Assange faces possible extradition to the U.S. for publishing thousands of classified military and diplomatic cables through WikiLeaks.

Assange has been in the embassy since 2012 when British courts ordered him extradited to face questioning in a sexual assault case. That matter has since been dropped, but Wikileaks is facing a federal grand jury investigation over its publication of American diplomatic and military secrets during the Iraq War.

British police made the announcement of Assange’s arrest moments after Ecuador decided to withdraw asylum. Jennifer Robinson, Assange’s attorney, said in a tweet Assange was arrested on an extradition request from the U.S. as well as on charges of breaching his bail conditions.

Assange “has been arrested not just for breach of bail conditions but also in relation to a US extradition request,” Robinson tweeted.

Barry J. Pollack, another attorney for Assange, called his client’s arrest at the embassy “disappointing.”

“It is bitterly disappointing that a country would allow someone to whom it has extended citizenship and asylum to be arrested in its embassy. First and foremost, we hope that the UK will now give Mr. Assange access to proper health care, which he has been denied for seven years,” the statement said.

“Once his health care needs have been addressed, the UK courts will need to resolve what appears to be an unprecedented effort by the United States seeking to extradite a foreign journalist to face criminal charges for publishing truthful information.”

The U.S. Justice Department revealed the existence of a sealed criminal case against Assange in a court filing last year. It wasn’t clear what he was accused of.

“We are aware of the reports that Julian Assange was taken into custody by United Kingdom authorities,” Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi said.

The arrest drew fierce reaction from people around the world, including WikiLeaks, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Edward Snowden and even Pamela Anderson.

WikiLeaks in a tweet accused Ecuador of “illegally” terminating Assange’s political asylum and accused the country of violating international law.

“This man is a son, a father, a brother. He has won dozens of journalism awards. He's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since 2010. Powerful actors, including CIA, are engaged in a sophisticated effort to dehumanize, delegitimize and imprison him,” WikiLeaks wrote.

Snowden, who infamously leaked highly classified NSA information, tweeted Assange's arrest would "going to end up in the history books.”

He later tweeted he was shocked about the "weakness" over the U.S. charge.

Anderson, who previously described her “romantic” relationship with Assange to Fox News last year, blasted Britain and the U.S. in a series of tweets.

“I am in shock,” Anderson wrote. “I couldn’t hear clearly what he said? He looks very bad. How could you [Ecuador]? (Because he exposed you).How could you UK. ? Of course - you are America’s b---h and you need a diversion from your idiotic Brexit b------t.”

She added: “And the USA? This toxic coward of a President. He needs to rally his base? - You are selfish and cruel. You have taken the entire world backwards. You are devils and liars and thieves. And you will ROTT And WE WILL RISE.”

Hunt thanked the Ecuadorean government for cooperating with the arrest.

“Julian Assange is no hero and no one is above the law. He has hidden from the truth for years," Hunt tweeted. "Thank you Ecuador and President @Lenin Moreno for your cooperation with @foreignoffice to ensure Assange faces justice.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May followed Hunt's statement, saying that Assange's arrest proves that "no one is above the law."

Assange had previously held an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity ahead of Trump’s inauguration in 2017.

He argued that the Obama administration was pushing the narrative of Russia meddling in the U.S. election to delegitimize then-President-elect Donald Trump. He also claimed he wasn’t the source for the hacked emails he released from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

[Pipebomb]

“Can’t we just drone this guy?”

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Oh no, poor rapist won't be protected any longer.

The Swedish authorities dropped that investigation but he is still on the hook for running on bail, plus there is the US who wants him too.

[draynay]

What happens to the cat?

[Khaza-R]

Not like other nations won't take him in.

Good on him exposing war puppets for who they really are. They should be the one's facing execution or life in prison.

[Aleksej89]

Useful new tool for the governments, media and other manipulators of the masses.
Accuse a male (preferably white) of racism, sexism or rape and the public doesn't even care is there any reliable evidence - they just want to ruin his career and kill him.

I dont know is assange guilty of whatever he is being accused of but he has made A LOT of rich/powerful enemies over the course of his wikileaks career.
If there is a target for false accusations and fake crimes then it would definitely be someone like assange.

[Vatrilian]

You don't understand he lost his leftist card when he went against Hillary Clinton. Now he is a POS and deserves to be droned. He was a hero when he embarrassed Bush though.

[Morae]

I dont really care otherwise, but has he ever been found guilty of being rapist?

If not, then he is not and should not be treated that way. He may be a dick, but unfortunately that is not a crime.

[melodramocracy]

Not sure why I should give a shit, but ok. People far more deserving of a roof over their head get evicted daily, and no articles are written about them.

[OokOok]

Doesn't make him any less of a rapist.

Are you always so ignorant? he didn't rape her, you should do your research before looking like an idiot.
They had both consented to sex multiple times, one time they had sex he didnt' wear a condom without her permission and that is apparently worthy of calling someone a rapist.
had the roles been reversed, i'm sure you'd be silent.

[Veknazel]

You don't need to be convicted in court to be a rapist.

You're a rapist. You sneaked into my room last night. I said so, so it is a fact.
Can we please ban this rapist?

[Xar226]

Good riddance.

[beanman12345]

lock him up!

[Coolthulhu]

I'm not judging anyone. I'm simply calling him what he is.

No, he isn't. Which, since we like calling people what they are, makes you a calumniator.

[Independent voter]

He has a cat and he doesn't clean the litter box so the cat started pooping around the embassy.

Now, Assange or Wikileaks leaked information about the Ecuadorian president saying he's corrupt.

Yeah, Ecuador is regretting letting him stay.

Maybe your country will let him have sanctuary in their embassy?

[Morae]

You don't need to be convicted in court to be a rapist.

I didnt say that. All I care, if it actually did happen and can be proven to have happened. Whether there is conviction or not is actually irrelevant. All I care whether it can be proven he indeed did rape someone.

If proof is not needed, anyone could be rapist. You, the person living next door. Your friends. Anyone. There has to be proof.


Once proven, though, he should go to jail.

[Mister Cheese]

Not like other nations won't take him in.

Good on him exposing war puppets for who they really are. They should be the one's facing execution or life in prison.

As soon as he walks out of the embassy he gets put in handcuffs does he not?

[Morae]

What? There doesn’t have to be proof for someone to be a rapist. You should have some decent evidence of it before calling them one, but if they raped someone they’re a rapist. Regardless of what you can prove to someone else.

So is this a question of, did a tree fall in the forest, if no one was there to see it?

Did Julian assagne rape someone, if there is no proof of him doing so?

If he did rape someone, sure, he is a rapist. If he didnt, then he isnt. But we dont know that. No one has yet told me, if proof has been found. What if later it is found that he didnt and he has already been judged to be rapist and punished at that point? Tell him "we are sorry"?

You are acting like a lynch squad.

[Canpinter]

the Russian embassy is only a few miles away, how much you wanna bet he attempts to make a run for it.

[united]

Justice will finally be served.