Ecuador Threatens To REMOVE Julian Assange From Its London Embassy After He Infuriated Country's
Original Article | Author: Sara Malm
Ecuador is working on finding a way for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to leave its London embassy after five years.
While the embassy stopped short of saying it wanted rid of Assange - who has infuriated Ecuador's president by criticising his political allies abroad - a veiled statement described the situation as 'untenable'.
The South American country is looking for a third-party mediator to help them work out a settlement with Britain regarding Assange, the foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said Ecuador is 'considering and exploring the possibility of mediation' to end the 'untenable' five-year stay.
'No solution will be achieved without international cooperation and the cooperation of the United Kingdom, which has also shown interest in seeking a way out,' she told foreign correspondents in Quito.
But Assange's legal team on Tuesday maintained he continued to be detained unlawfully.
A statement by Mr Assange's legal team said: 'The UN ruling, issued almost two years ago, is crystal clear in its language, Mr Assange is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained by the UK authorities and must be released.
'The UK should not permit itself to be intimidated by the Trump administration's public threats to "take down" Mr Assange.'
A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The Government of Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice.'
Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno (left, pictured with his chief adviser Andres Mideros) has been infuriated by Assange's criticism of his political allies abroad
The move by Ecuador comes a few months after its president Lenin Moreno warned Assange to avoid inflammatory political statements and commenting on issues involving the country's allies.
