Ecuador asked swedish government to take assange statement
QUITO: Ecuador has asked the Swedish government to take a statement from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London, Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Monday.
“Our ambassador in Sweden has begun steps to ask the Swedish government to collect the statement of Mr Assange where he is located, at the Ecuadoran embassy in London,” said Ecuadoran foreign minister Ricardo Patino.
Assange, 41, is seeking asylum in Ecuador to avoid his extradition to Sweden, where he is accused of sexual assault. The WikiLeaks founder fears that from Sweden, he could subsequently be re-extradited to the United States to stand trial for espionage, on account of the trove of leaked US diplomatic cables and military logs that were published on his website.
“This is the request we have made in an effort to protect Mr Assange’s life at all costs,” Patino added, joined at a press conference by Assange’s mother, Christine.
Mr. Assange has remained at Ecuador’s embassy in London since June 19. He is seeking political asylum in the Andean country in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations that he raped one woman and molested another during a trip to Stockholm in 2010.
