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Ecuador moots Assange interview in London

Ecuador has asked Sweden to take WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's testimony regarding accusations of rape and sexual harassment, in London, the South American nation's top diplomat announced Monday.

Published: 31 July 2012 07:26 CEST

Ecuador moots Assange interview in London

“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.

Christine Assange met with Patino Monday.

“I am sure the president and his aides will make the best decision in this case,” she told government website El Ciudadano.

Ecuador will respond to Assange’s request on August 12th, Patino said, after the 2012 London Olympics.

“We will take decisions that do not affect our relations with Britain,” Patino said, explaining that Quito would be careful not to do anything that could interfere in any way with the Olympic Games.

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Spanish ring 'tried to extort €3m from Wikileaks': Assange lawyers

A video grab shows Julian Assange being driven away by British police after his arrest. Photo: AFP

Assange, who for seven years lived holed up in London's Ecuadoran embassy where he had taken refuge to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape accusations, was arrested on April 11 after Quito terminated his asylum.

The 47-year-old founder of WikiLeaks, which exposed everything from US military secrets to the wealthy's tax evasion, is now awaiting sentencing for breaching his British bail conditions in 2012.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said the complaint was against “a group of Spaniards who allegedly engaged in extortion and the embassy's employees and Ecuador's foreign ministry.”

The source added an investigation was ongoing and alleged “espionage” in the embassy against Assange, refusing to give further details.

According to Spanish media reports, four Spaniards have videos and personal documents of Assange. Online daily eldiario.es said they somehow got these via an alleged spying system set up in the embassy that included security cameras and employees taking photos of all documents handled by Assange.

They allegedly tried to extort three million euros ($3.3 million) out of WikiLeaks not to publish any of it, Spanish media report.

Eldiario.es, which had access to the written complaint that was filed to Spain's top-level National Court, says Assange's lawyers also accuse Ecuador of spying on him. The National Court could not comment when contacted by AFP.

That contrasts with Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno's version of events. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, he alleged Assange had tried to set up a “centre for spying” in Ecuador's embassy.

Last year, Quito cut his internet and mobile phone access, accusing him of breaking “a written commitment” not to interfere in its and allies' foreign policies.

The move infuriated Assange, who sued the government for violating his “fundamental rights” by limiting his access to the outside world.

Now in prison in Britain, Assange is also fighting a US extradition warrant relating to the release by WikiLeaks of a huge cache of official documents.

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