Ecuador says UK to blame for Julian Assange deadlock

Ecuador has hit back at the UK government about who is to blame for the deadlocked case of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange.

The Australian has been living in Ecuador’s embassy, in London, for three years, to avoid extradition to Sweden for sex allegations. Three of four investigations were dropped last week after they time-lapsed.

Britis foreign office minister Hugo Swire said Ecuador’s decision to harbour Assange had prevented the proper course of justice. He said the UK continued to have a legal obligation to extradite Assange.

“The continuing failure to expedite the Swedish prosecutor’s interview, and to bring this situation to an end, is being seen as a growing stain on the country’s reputation,” he said.

Ecuador’s acting minister of foreign affairs, Xavier Lasso, said he “categorically rejected” the accusations.

“It is not acceptable to try to place the responsibility for the lack of progress in this area over the last five years on Ecuador,” said Lasso. He said if there was an abuse of diplomatic relations, it had been committed by the UK Government. He said that it had not only threatened to “violate the immunity of diplomatic premises”, but it had maintained an “invasive police cordon” outside the embassy in London.

“The Republic of Ecuador will not take lessons from any foreign government, least of all those that are unaware of the institution of political asylum; its legitimacy, attached and enshrined in international law, and its humanitarian nature, based on the sovereign equality of nations,” said Lasso.

Assange fears being taken to the US over the activities of WikiLeaks.