Ecuador Will No Longer Intervene With U.K. For Julian Assange
ENOUGH
Latest development in a falling out between Assange and his host country.
Reuters / Neil Hall
Ecuador will no longer intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to the country's foreign minister. Previously, Ecuador maintained dialogue with British authorities over Assange’s situation since granting him asylum in its London embassy in 2012. But now Ecuador says it has no responsibility for him other than for his wellbeing. “Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps,” Foreign Minister José Valencia told Reuters. “We are not Mr. Assange’s lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain.” Valencia said he was “frustrated” by Assange’s decision to sue last week over new terms of his asylum which require him to pay for phone calls and to clean up after his cat. “There is no obligation in international agreements for Ecuador to pay for things like Mr. Assange’s laundry,” he said.
