Thursday, August 16, 2012

Assange: Fighting Erupts Outside Embassy

Protesters clash with police outside the Ecuadorian embassy where Julian Assange is waiting to hear about his asylum bid.


Ecuadorian Embassy in London
Ecuador has accused the UK government of threatening to enter its London embassy in order to arrest Julian Assange.

The Wikileaks founder took refuge in the building in June to avoid extradition to Sweden where he faces questioning over allegations of sexual assault.


Mr Assange is due to find out later today whether his request for political asylum has been granted but a diplomatic row has now erupted over his legal battle.

Ecuador has accused the British government of threatening to storm the embassy if the country refuses to hand over the 41-year-old.

Under international law, diplomatic posts are considered the territory of the foreign nation but the Foreign Office claims it is allowed to revoke this status if the embassy "ceases to use land for the purposes of its mission or exclusively for the purposes of a consular post".

Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patino released details of a letter he says was delivered through a British embassy official in the capital of the South American country, Quito.
The letter said: "You need to be aware that there is a legal base in the UK, the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987, that would allow us to take actions in order to arrest Mr Assange in the current premises of the Embassy.
Ricardo Patino
"We sincerely hope that we do not reach that point, but if you are not capable of resolving this matter of Mr Assange's presence in your premises, this is an open option for us."

Mr Patino said Ecuador rejects "in the strongest possible terms the explicit threat of the British official communication.

"This is unbecoming of a democratic, civilised and law abiding state. If this conduct persists, Ecuador will take appropriate responses in accordance with international law.

"If the measures announced in the British official communication materialise they will be interpreted by Ecuador as a hostile and intolerable act and also as an attack on our sovereignty, which would require us to respond with greater diplomatic force.

"Such actions would be a blatant disregard of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and of the rules of international law of the past four centuries.

"It would be a dangerous precedent because it would open the door to the violation of embassies as a declared sovereign space."

But the Foreign Office said in a statement: "We have an obligation to extradite Mr Assange and it is only right that we give Ecuador the full picture.
"Throughout this process we have drawn the Ecuadorians' attention to relevant provisions of our law... We are still committed to reaching a mutually acceptable solution."

The legal process by which Mr Assange could be arrested at the embassy would take seven days to implement because the Government would have to give notice.

A number of police officers are now outside the building, which is close to the Harrods store in Knightsbridge, where some of Mr Assange's supporters have gathered.

The Australian, who published thousands of sensitive US documents including diplomatic cables and military dispatches via the internet, took refuge in the embassy 56 days ago.

He says he fears deportation to the US, which may seek to try him for his website's release of a trove of secret documents.

Mr Assange's mother Christine claimed the US was behind the British threat and called on Australia's Attorney General to protest.

"What the US wants, the US gets from its allies, regardless of if it's legal or if it's ethical or in breach of human or legal rights. We're all lackeys," she told reporters in Australia.

Wikileaks has released a statement condemning what it calls "the UK's resort to intimidation".
Julian Assange
"A threat of this nature is a hostile and extreme act, which is not proportionate to the circumstances, and an unprecedented assault on the rights of asylum seekers worldwide," it said.

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