- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Assange Most Likely to Face UK Arrest After Eviction From Embassy - Greenwald

© REUTERS / Peter NichollsWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The UK and Ecuador have been taking diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue of Julian Assange, who has spent six years in self-exile in Ecuador's embassy last month. As his adventure is likely to come to an end soon, concerns rise over his future relations with authorities.

Julian Assange, 47, an Australian-born internet journalist and WikiLeaks founder, is facing eviction from the London-based Ecuadorean embassy where he has been holed up for almost six years.

Ecuador, whose president Lenin Moreno publicly admitted last week he had "never been in favor" of what Assange does, has been working towards ejecting the troublesome guest.

READ MORE: WikiLeaks’ Assange Facing ‘Very Grave Juncture’ As Potential Extradition Looms

Speaking to ABC News, Pulitzer-winning US journalist Glenn Greenwald claimed that Ecuador has been facing pressure from Spain, the UK, and the US amid Assange's case.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017 - Sputnik International
Ecuador's President Says Wants to Find Solution to Assange Case Without Trouble

He went on to say that the only impediment for withdrawing Assange's asylum is his Ecuadorean citizenship, granted in 2016. The UK and Ecuador are now "thinking about trying to retroactively rescind his citizenship, and they're just working out these final details."

The 47-year-old will supposedly be arrested for his failure to appear in a UK court to face a Swedish extradition hearing in 2012.

Greenwald suggested that Assange's extradition to the US would be up to UK judges as they are "more independent" from Washington than their government.

Julian Assange garnered international attention in 2010, when his WikiLeaks project disclosed massive amounts of classified and sensitive documents on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, provoking an international scandal. Washington launched an investigation into WikiLeaks and Assange personally to prosecute him under the Espionage Act.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange holds a copy of a U.N. ruling as he makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, in central London, Britain February 5, 2016. - Sputnik International
Assange's Defenders Alarmed at Ecuador's Wish to End His Stay in Embassy

Shortly after the scandalous information dumps, Assange faced accusations of sexual molestation and rape from two Swedish women, which he denied and slammed as politically motivated. In December 2010, he was arrested by London police and later released on bail. In June 2012, fearing extradition to Sweden and then to the US, the journalist breached his bail and sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has been trapped ever since.

After Swedish prosecutors dropped the criminal investigation into rape allegations in May 2017, Assange was free to leave the embassy, but was risking an arrest for breaching his bail conditions.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала