Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder, arrested by UK police

Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder arrested by UK police and removed from Ecuador embassy
Ecuadorian government withdraws asylum seven years after 47-year-old took refuge to avoid extradition
Chris Baynes | The Independent
9 minutes ago

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested by British police at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Officers executed a warrant for the 47-year-old’s arrest on Thursday morning after the Ecuadorian government withdrew his asylum.

Mr Assange took refuge in the Knightsbridge embassy seven years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced sexual assault allegations.

Those accusations have since been dropped but he remained wanted for failing to surrender to Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June 2012. Mr Assange has maintained his arrest would lead him being extradited to the US, where he faces charges over the release of sensitive government files.

The Metropolitan Police said it “had a duty to execute the warrant” and was "invited into the embassy by the Ambassador, following the Ecuadorian government’s withdrawal of asylum”.

Lenin Moreno, the Ecuadorian president, said Mr Assange’s asylum had been revoked ”after his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols”.

He blamed Mr Assange's "discourteous and aggressive behaviour" for his expulsion from the embassy, claiming he had accessed the consulate's security files without permission, "confronted and mistreated guards", and was "involved in interfering in internal affairs of other states".

Mr Moreno said he had received written assurances from the UK government that Mr Assange would not be "extradited to a country where he could face torture or the death penalty".

Wikileaks claimed Ecuador had had terminated the asylum "in violation of international law”.

"Powerful actors, including CIA, are engaged in a sophisticated effort to dehumanise, delegitimise and imprison" Mr Assange, it added in a tweet.

The Wikileaks founder was led "screaming" and "struggling" from the embassy at about 10.25am, according to a witness. Footage showed him surrounded by officers as he was led from the building and bundled into a waiting van.

Mr Assange was taken into custody at central London police station and will appear before Westminster magistrates "as soon as is possible", Scotland Yard said.

Sajid Javid, the UK home secretary, said the Wikileaks founder was “rightly facing justice in the UK”. He added: “I would like to thank Ecuador for its cooperation and the Met Police for its professionalism. No one is above the law.”

Alan Duncan, the British minister of state for Europe and the Americas, said Mr Assange's arrest followed "extensive dialogue" between the UK and Ecuador. He added: "It is for the courts to decide what happens next."

A United Nations human rights expert last week expressed concern about reports that Mr Assange was set to be expelled from the embassy.

“He is likely to be arrested by British authorities and extradited to the United States,” said Nils Merlzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture. “Such a response could expose him to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The UN has previously concluded Mr Assange's refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy amounted to arbitrary detention.

CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden said: "Assange's critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom."

Videos at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/julian-assange-arrest-ecuador-embassy-police-wikileaks-latest-a8864791.html