Britain has spent £10 million on policing Julian Assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gives a statement at a press conference inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London 18 August 2014.

Image: EPA John Stillwell

By Blathnaid HealyUK2015-02-05 19:29:25 UTC

LONDON Monitoring the Ecuadorian embassy in London where Julian Assange is staying has been a costly exercise for the British taxpayer.

To date, 10 million ($15 million) has been spent to ensure the WikiLeaks founder doesn't put a foot on British soil.

In a request filed under the Freedom of Information Act, LBC Radio found that it costs 10,500 ($16,000) to guard the embassy around the clock each day.

So far, Assange has spent 959 days in the embassy after Ecuador granted him political asylum in 2012, preventing the WikiLeaks founder from being extradited to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of sexual misconduct.

During that time, Assange has been waiting for a diplomatic solution to the standoff. In July, a court in Sweden upheld an arrest warrant against him, leaving Assange in legal limbo with no solution in sight.

In August, Assange said he would leave the embassy "soon," but didn't specify when or what terms might be involved.

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Britain has spent £10 million on policing Julian Assange