As the
diplomatic stand-off continued with Foreign Secretary William Hague
indicating that it could drag on for “some considerable time’’, there
was speculation that as a last resort Ecuador could give Mr. Assange
diplomatic status that would allow him leave its embassy in London
without risking arrest.
He has been holed up at the
embassy since seeking refuge there in June to avoid extradition to
Sweden over allegations of sexual assault.
WikiLeaks,
meanwhile, announced that Mr. Assange would address his supporters
“outside’’ the embassy on Sunday sparking rumours that he might be
planning to court arrest in a public show of “going down fighting’’
while at the same time putting his hosts out of their misery.
In a statement, he hailed Ecuador as a “courageous, independent’’ country which stood up for him.
“It
was not Britain or my home country Australia, that stood up to protect
me from persecution, but a courageous, independent Latin American
country,’’ he said.
Mr. Assange was said to be
“bored’’ and “restive’’ having been stuck inside Ecuador’s cramped
embassy in Knightsbridge for more than two months. He is allowed
visitors and has access to television and computer but the pressure of
being isolated from the outside world had started to tell, according to
people who have met him.
His mother, Christine
Assange, said she was “worried about his health, as I would be for
anybody who is having to stay indoors and not get exercise and
sunlight’’.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino
said his government would “use the alternatives under international law
to demand the safe passage” but did not elaborate.
“We
don't think it is reasonable that, after a sovereign government has
made the decision of granting political asylum, a citizen is forced to
live in an embassy for a long period,” he said as Britain insisted that
it was under legal obligation to extradite Mr. Assange to Sweden as he
had exhausted all legal options.
Sweden accused
Ecuador of wanting to “halt the Swedish judicial process’’. A Foreign
Ministry spokesman said Sweden “emphatically reject the gross
accusations that is made against the Swedish judicial system”.
The
lawyer for the two Swedish women behind the allegations of sexual
assault against Mr. Assange accused his supporters of overlooking their
ordeal.
