Ecuador: Assange’s asylum decision awaits end of Olympics
Decision on Assange’s asylum to be announced after Olympics while his mother Christine Assange visits Ecuador; Ecuador makes its mark in the London Olympics in the weightlifting category.
Decision on Assange’s asylum to be announced after Olympics
The ministry of foreign affairs, Ricardo Patiño, announced that a decision on Julian Assange’s asylum request will be announced after the London Olympics end.
The announcement comes after Sweden turned down Ecuador’s request to take a statement from the WikiLeaks founder in London. Ricardo Patiño said that he was disappointed about Sweden’s decision because it ‘makes the situation more complicated’.
Patiño did not say if Ecuador is now more inclined to grant political asylum to Assange but said his country’s decision will seek to protect Assange’s life and his right to freedom.
The Australian campaigner, who angered Washington in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website published secret US diplomatic cables, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over sex crime allegations. He fears that if he is sent to Sweden he could be bundled off to the United States.
In the meantime, as part of an extensive campaign in his favour, Julian Assange’s mother travelled to Ecuador to meet president Correa and plead her son’s asylum case.
Christine Assange, who arrived in the capital city Quito on July 28, told reporters she will appeal to Ecuador’s stance on human rights during her meeting. ‘Surely, the president and his staff will make the best decision,’ Christine Assange said, according to a report in the state-run El Ciudadano website.
However, Wikileaks founder’s efforts to seek the best support on his case go beyond diplomatic means. It has been announced that the well-known Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón has been hired by Assange as a legal advisor.
Garzón, famously known for ordering the detention of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and being involved in controversial legal cases, says that Assange’s extradition would be tantamount to sending him to the United States, where supporters fear a grand jury has secretly indicted him for spilling U.S.secrets.
Ecuador makes its mark in the London Olympics
Seledina Nieves, participant in London Olympics weightlifting competition, lifted 255 kg and made it to the 8th place in the +75 category of the London Olympics.
Nieves, who is the current Panamerican champion in this category, expressed that she was happy with her performance during this Olympics and has started her preparation for Rio de Janeiro 2016.
