Ecuador to soon decide on Assange plea - Gayo Lues

In a Monday interview with the country’s public broadcaster, ECTV, the president expressed hope that Ecuadorian officials “will be able to make a statement on the matter,” before the end of the week, saying, “We expect to have a meeting no later than Wednesday.”

In an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden, Assange sought refuge in Ecuador’s embassy in London on June 19 and applied for political asylum.

Correa said the country “will act in strict accordance with the principles of Ecuador,” and that Quito seeks to respect “the rights of the person that has asked for asylum in Ecuador.”

On June 21, the president expressed concerns that Assange might face execution if sent to the United States, saying the charges against him could be means of political persecution.

The WikiLeaks founder was accused of committing rape and other sexual crimes after the whistleblower made US “secret” and “top secret” documents publicly available on the website, despite intense efforts on the part of American authorities to stop him.

Assange has maintained that he is innocent and claims the allegations against him are politically motivated. He says that if he is extradited to Sweden, the authorities there could hand him over to the United States where he could be prosecuted for his role in the leakage of classified documents.

MR/HN