WikiLeaks founder and former hacker Julian Assange could be evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has lived for six years while claiming diplomatic asylum, according to reports. The embassy cut off Assange’s internet connections, computers and phones several months ago, though he still speaks with his lawyers.
WikiLeaks founder and former hacker Julian Assange could be evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has lived for six years while claiming diplomatic asylum, according to reports. The embassy cut off Assange’s internet connections, computers and phones several months ago, though he still speaks with his lawyers.
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Assange sought refuge at Ecuador's embassy in the U.K. in 2012, after he broke bail connected to sexual assault allegations against him in Sweden. Though the Swedish investigation was dropped in 2017, the U.K. warrant for his arrest on bail-jumping charges remains. As long as he remains in the embassy, he cannot be arrested by U.K. authorities.
The Ecuadorian president’s recent trip to London included closed-door discussions with British officials, according to a report on Saturday from The Intercept. The agreement could lead to the embassy expelling Assange, at which point he would be handed over to authorities in London.
Questions remain about whether the British would extradite Assange to the U.S., where lawmakers have vowed to prosecute him for publishing hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. government documents.