After living in the embassy for four years, Assange was finally questioned earlier this month by a Swedish state prosecutor over allegations he had committed rape in Sweden in 2010.
The protracted process of actually interviewing and taking evidence from Assange has led to a series of allegations from all parties involved, with Ecuadorian officials blaming Stockholm for the delay in the process.
UK Prosecutors were finally able to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Monday about a possible sex crime in Sweden six years ago.
— Jhawn Paul (@PinkSheepNews) November 17, 2016
"Four years have passed and we are only at this stage, but that is no longer attributable to Ecuador, it is attributable to Swedish prosecutors. I do not think there is a quick way out," said Ecuador's prosecutor Galo Chiriboga.
Sweden is showing everyone how long they can hold a person for questioning without charge for every day they don't act on the Assange case.
— #BoycottPhilippines (@Radguy1) November 19, 2016
Chiriboga said Ecuadorian officials would send the official transcript of Assange's evidence to Swedish authorities by the middle of next month, noting that a DNA sample had been taken by British police, which could be used in Sweden's investigation of the WikiLeaks founder.
"Therefore Sweden will now have to request that DNA sample from the British police," the prosecutor said.
Calls for Extradition Assurances
Australian citizen Assange has previously refused to travel to Sweden for questioning over the allegations, raising concerns that if he travelled to Sweden he could then be extradited to the US, where he could face charges over WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of secret US diplomatic cables.
Assange has denied the rape allegations and has not been charged by Swedish officials. He is also wanted by British authorities for violating the conditions of his house arrest, which he broke when he entered the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012.
TIME Person of the Year results so far: Trump 11% Assange 11% Putin 7% Modi 5% Erdoğan 3% Sanders 2% Clinton 1% https://t.co/tZLbQjd0QO pic.twitter.com/HjaWvibvmk
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 22, 2016
Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Guillaume Long has called for Assange to be granted guarantees that he won't be extradited if he travels to Sweden for questioning, while Donald Trump's election win in the US has led to some speculation that Assange could be given some sort of assurance that he won't be pursued by Washington.
Despite these rumors, no US officials or Trump spokespeople have made any comments regarding Assange and possible extradition assurances.
