London Metropolitan police has arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London. He has been holed up in the Embassy of Ecuador in London since 2012 in order to avoid a warrant against him. Ecuador withdrew Assanges diplomatic asylum earlier today leading to his arrest.

A video has emerged of the moment of the arrest which shows a heavily bearded Assange being carried out of the embassy as he wags a finger and appears to say the UK has no civility.

In a video statement, Ecuador president Lenn Moreno announced the withdrawal of Assanges asylum.

Today, I announce that the discourteous and aggressive behavior of Mr. Julian Assange, the hostile and threatening declarations of its allied organization, against Ecuador, and especially, the trangression of international treaties, have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr. Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable, Moreno said.

Ecuador sovereignly has decided to terminate the diplomatic asylum granted to Mr. Assange in 2012, he added.

In particular, Moreno highlights the leak of Vatican documents in January 2019. According to Moreno, this proves that Assange is still linked with WikiLeaks he thinks that Assange interferes in internal affairs of other states.

The patience of Ecuador has reached its limit on the behavior of Mr. Assange: He installed electronic and distortion equipment not allowed. He blocked the security cameras of the Ecuadorian Mission in London. He has confronted and mistreated guards. He had accessed the security files of our Embassy without permission. He claimed to be isolated and rejected the internet connection offered by the embassy, and yet he had a mobile phone with which he communicated with the outside world.

Before releasing Assange, Ecuador asked British authorities not to extradite Assange to a country where he could face torture or the death penalty. The British government agreed to comply with the request.

The Metropolitan Police issued the following statement:

Julian Assange, 47, (03.07.71) has today, Thursday 11 April, been arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) at the Embassy of Ecuador, Hans Crescent, SW1 on a warrant issued by Westminster Magistrates Court on 29 June 2012, for failing to surrender to the court.

He has been taken into custody at a central London police station where he will remain, before being presented before Westminster Magistrates Court as soon as is possible.

The MPS had a duty to execute the warrant, on behalf of Westminster Magistrates Court, and was invited into the embassy by the Ambassador, following the Ecuadorian governments withdrawal of asylum.

Wikileaks tweeted that Assange did not voluntarily leave the embassy writing that British police were invited in and immediately arrested him:

Weve reached out to Wikileaks for a formal statement.

The relationship between Assange and the country that afforded him diplomatic shelter in a few rooms in Knightsbridge for so many years has been growing increasingly strained.

Last year the embassy cut his access to the Internet and outside communication saying it was implementing an isolation regime after Assange had breached a written commitment not to issue messages that might interfere with other states.

It later partially restored his access to the Internet and external visits after a UN intervention. But clearly Ecuadors patience with the mercurial Wikileaks founder has worn thin.

Assange fled to the embassy after Swedish authorities issued a warrant for sexual assault allegations. Two women accused him of sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.

Those charges were dropped in 2017 by Swedish prosecutors who had sought a European arrest warrant to extradite him from the U.K. but Assange has claimed he remains at risk of extradition to the U.S. to face charges of leaking sensitive U.S. government files.

The reason why British authorities arrested him today is that he breached bail conditions in the U.K. by seeking political refuge at the Ecuadorean Embassy in 2012.

U.K. Foreign Minister, Jeremy Hunt, reacted to news of Assanges arrest with a strongly-worded tweet:

The U.K. has an extradition treaty with the U.S. so it is highly likely U.S. authorities will seek to extradite Assange to face charges of leaking state secrets.

Though it is equally likely Assange would fight any attempt to extradite him.

In a press briefing at the start of last year the U.S. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Steven Goldstein, was asked about Ecuadors decision to grant Assange citizenship. Goldstein responded that the department does not discuss whether or not it is considering bringing Assange to the U.S. for trial.

But the Washington Post reported last November that Assange has been charged in the U.S. under seal after prosecutors inadvertently revealed the development in an unsealed court filing in an unrelated case.

The nature of the charges Assange could face were not clear from the unsealed filing. But the existence of the charge against him makes the Trump administrations intent to prosecute clear.

Wikileaks contends the charge against Assange represents a threat to press freedom.

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Julian Assange arrested in London after Ecuador withdraws ...

Julian Assange's arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London was carried out in a specific way to prevent him from pressing a mysterious panic button he said could bring dire consequences for Ecuador, its foreign minister said.

The WikiLeaks founder was carried out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London's Kensington district on Thursday morning by a group of British police officers. Ecuador had earlier revoked his political asylum, alleging repeated bad behavior during his almost seven-year stay.

During this stay, Assange is accused of threatening Jaime Merchan, the Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK, with activating some kind of panic button that would bring down the embassy if he were arrested or felt in danger.

The claim was made by Ecuador's foreign minister, Jos Valencia, in a speech Thursday to the country's National Assembly, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.

Assange leaving a London police station after his Thursday arrest. Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Assange had said the button would bring "devastating consequences," the AP reported, in a summary of Valencia's remarks.

It is not clear exactly what form the "panic button" took: whether it was a physical device or a metaphor for some other easily activated insurance measure. It is also unclear what leverage Assange thought he had over Ecuador.

Assange's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the nature of the button and whether it existed. According to Valencia, though, it was serious enough for Ecuador to warn British authorities and carry out the raid in such a way that Assange was not able to get back into his room after learning of his imminent arrest.

Ecuador granted Assange asylum in June 2012, when he was trying to evade warrants for his arrest in Sweden and the UK.

He had failed to appear in court to face charges of sexual assault in Sweden, which he denies. He was also wanted in the UK for breaching prior bail conditions.

A police van outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after Assange's arrest. Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Ecuador's president announced the removal of Assange's asylum in a Thursday video statement, saying Ecuador's patience had "reached its limit on the behavior of Mr Assange."

"We've ended the asylum of this spoiled brat," he said in a separate speech hours after Assange's arrest, according to the AP.

President Lenn Moreno said Assange breached the conditions of his stay by installing prohibited electronic equipment in the embassy. Moreno said Assange also mistreated security guards and accessed the embassy's security files during his stay.

The Ecuadorian government also told Assange in a memo that he deliberately pointed a studio lamp at a security camera in a room where he received guests, according to government memos released by the WikiLeaks founder's supporters in February.

Assange greeting supporters at the Ecuadorian Embassy in May 2017. Associated Press

Ecuador's troubles with Assange went beyond security concerns.

Officials have accused Assange of being unhygienic and said his skateboarding ruined their floors. Last year it issued a nine-page memo telling him to clean up after his cat.

Mara Paula Romo, Ecuador's interior minister, said Thursday that Assange had been "allowed to do things like put feces on the walls of the embassy and other behaviors of that nature," according to Reuters.

Ecuadorian authorities deemed this behavior, which they said happened at least once, an act of defiance and disrespect to his hosts, the AP reported. Assange's lawyer attributed it to "stomach problems," Reuters reported.

Read more: The weirdest anecdote about Julian Assange claims that he doesn't like cutlery and eats hot food like jam pudding with his hands

A graphic showing Assange's living area at the embassy. GraphicNews

In a separate memo, Merchan, the ambassador, also sent Assange complaints that he was playing the radio loudly while meeting visitors which "disturbed the work being carried out by the embassy."

The government said it spent $6.2 million on his upkeep and security from 2012 to 2018.

Ecuador's expulsion of Assange also comes amid a protracted political dispute within the Latin American country.

His ouster comes after years of international and domestic political wrangling between Moreno and his predecessor, Rafael Correa, who granted Assange asylum in 2012.

Moreno has also accused WikiLeaks of being behind an anonymous website that said Moreno's brother created offshore companies to fund his family's luxurious lifestyles in Europe while Moreno was working there for the UN, Reuters reported.

Read more: This simmering political clash may have led to Julian Assange's ouster from Ecuador's embassy

The US on Thursday requested Assange's extradition, charging him with conspiracy to hack classified US government computers, in a document naming the US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

He was also convicted of breaching bail conditions in the UK.

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Assange arrest designed to stop him pressing mysterious panic ...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange sits in a police van following his arrest Thursday.

WikiLeaks founderJulian Assangewas taken into custody by London's Metropolitan Police on Thursday at the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he's been living for almost seven years.

Sporting a thick beard, Assange was whisked across London to Westminster Magistrate's Court, where he was found guilty of breaching bail. That charge carries a possible prison sentence of up to 12 months.

Having now left the sanctuary of the embassy, Assange could also be extradited to the US. The 47-year-oldfaces chargesstemming from his alleged role in what the US Justice Department calls "one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States." The Justice Department said Thursday that the arrest was pursuant to an extradition treaty between the US and the UK.

The arrest took place inside the embassy after Ecuador withdrew asylum,police said in a statement.UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweetedto confirm Assange's arrest. "No one is above the law," he said.

The only footage of Assange's arrest appears to have been captured by Russian government-funded news outlet RT.

WikiLeaksdescribed the turn of events as a travesty of justice.

"Ecuador has illegally terminated Assange political asylum in violation of international law,"WikiLeaks said on Twitter.

The arrest comes only days afterUN special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer warnedthat expelling Assange from the embassy could leave him vulnerable and "expose him to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights."

Assange started living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault charges. Those charges have since been dropped, butAssange was still wantedin the UK for skipping bail in 2012. He has remained in the embassy out of fear of being extradited to the US on separate charges.

On Thursday, the Justice Department unsealed court documents, dating back to March 2018, in connection with a federal charge of "conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for agreeing to break a password to a classified US government computer." The indictment alleges that, in March 2010, Assange conspired in the endeavor with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the US Army, to access a Defense Department network.

The Justice Department alleges that Assange encouraged Manning to provide him with classified records. During one exchange, the DOJ alleges, Manning told Assange "after this upload, that's all I really have got left," and Assange replied by saying, "curious eyes never run dry in my experience."

If convicted, Assange would face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, the Justice Department said Thursday.

Now playing: Watch this: After Julian Assange's arrest, the US DoJ piles on

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WikiLeaks and Assange have been under scrutiny since the highly publicized 2010 leak of diplomatic cables and military documents.

In the first decade after its 2006 launch, WikiLeaks released -- by its own count -- more than 10 million secret documents. The leaks ranged from a video showing an American Apache helicopter in the Iraq War shooting and killing two journalistsin 2007 toemails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta during the 2016 presidential race.

The Justice Department under President Barack Obama declined to press charges for revealing secrets, concluding that WikiLeaks was working in a capacity akin to journalism. But the case was never formally closed, and the Justice Department under President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to take another look at the case.

Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he hopes that Assange will be extradited quickly to the US.

"Julian Assange has long professed high ideals and moral superiority," Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, whatever his intentions when he started WikiLeaks, what he's really become is a direct participant in Russian efforts to undermine the West and a dedicated accomplice in efforts to undermine American security."

At a press conference outside the London courthouse, Assange's attorneys said that they would fight extradition to the US. They dismissed the US charges related to hacking allegations and said that Assange's arrest was an attack on journalism.

"It is quite obvious that the US authorities have picked just one element of what they've been working on for a long time," Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks' editor-in-chief, said at the conference. "There is no assurance that there would not be additional charges when he is on US soil."

A judge said that Assange will return to court on June 12 for extradition matters, which his attorneys and supporters will continue to fight. Outside the courthouse, protesters were chanting, "there's only one condition, no extradition."

Assange's attorney Jen Robinson said he had a message for the public.

"I've just been with Mr. Assange in the police cells, he wants to thank all of his supporters for their ongoing support, and he said, 'I told you so,'" Robinson said.

In a statement on Twitter, Robinson said she had confirmation that Assange's arrest was "not just for breach of bail conditions but also in relation to a US extradition request."

An early warning that Assange would be evicted from the embassy came in a thread of tweets from the official WikiLeaks account a week ago. The organization claimed to have details about Assange's imminent release from a high-level source within Ecuador.

Soon after the tweets were sent, activists supporting Assange turned out with banners and tents in support of his freedom. Following the protesters came the police, who many assumed were there to arrest Assange as he left the embassy.

In a video statement posted to Twitter on Thursday, President of Ecuador Lenn Moreno said the country was withdrawing asylum due to Assange's "discourteous and aggressive behavior."

Sen. Richard Burr, the Senate Intelligence Committee's chair, said in a statement that Assange and WikiLeaks had been working with the "Russian intelligence services for years."

"Mr. Assange engaged in a conspiracy to steal classified information, putting millions of lives at risk all over the world," Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said. "Hopefully he will now face justice."

President Donald Trump stepped back from previous remarks about WikiLeaks. During his presidential campaign, Trump made several comments about the site. At an October 2016 rally, for instance, he said, "I love WikiLeaks."

At a press conference Thursday, a reporter asked the commander-in-chief if he still felt that love.

"I know nothing about WikiLeaks," Trump said. "It's not my thing." He added that he'd be leaving the handling of the case to the Justice Department. "I've been seeing what's happened with Assange, and that will be a determination from the attorney general."

CNET's Richard Trenholm contributed to this report.

Originally published April 11 at 2:45 a.m. PT.Updates, 6:31 a.m.: Adds information from the US Justice Department; 7:15 a.m.: Includes result of Assange's court appearance; 7:30 a.m.: Adds comment from Sen. Mark Warner; 8:18 a.m.: Adds remarks from Assange's lawyers; 9:07 a.m.: Includes additional details; 9:36 a.m.: Adds comments from Sen. Richard Burr; 10:01 a.m.: Includes remarks from Trump.

See original here:
Julian Assange leaves Ecuadorian Embassy in London after six ...

Rumours are rife that Julian Assange will soon be released from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after the organisation he founded, WikiLeaks, suggested his exit was imminent.

WikiLeaks tweeted that a high-level source within the Ecuadorian state told it Assange will be expelled from the embassy within hours or days. But a senior Ecuadorian official said no decision had been made to remove him from the building.

In August 2010, an arrest warrant was issued for Assange for two separate allegations one of rape and one of molestation after he visited Sweden for a speaking trip. He was questioned by police in Stockholm and denied the allegations.

Assange revealed his fears that if he were extradited to Sweden, he would then be extradited again to the US to face charges over WikiLeaks publication of secret US government files.

After an international arrest warrant was issued by Swedish police through Interpol, Assange presented himself to the Metropolitan police in December 2010 and appeared at an extradition hearing, where he was granted bail.

Following a couple of years of legal battles, UK courts ruled Assange should be extradited to Sweden, and the WikiLeaks founder entered the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2012 seeking political asylum, which was granted.

Swedish prosecutors dropped a preliminary investigation into the allegation of rape in May 2017, stating that at this point, all possibilities to conduct the investigation are exhausted.

The separate allegations of sexual assault, made by a second Swedish woman, were dropped by Swedish authorities in 2015 after the statute of limitations expired.

The Met issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to surrender to the conditional bail set in December 2010 this warrant remains.

In January 2018, lawyers for Assange attempted to have the warrant torn up on the grounds it has lost its purpose and its function.

But in February of that year, Westminster magistrates court said the UK arrest warrant was still valid. Assange said he continues to fear an arrest on British soil would ultimately lead to extradition to the US.

We dont know for sure. But a mistake in a document filed by the US authorities, which emerged in November last year in an unrelated case, hinted criminal charges may have been prepared in secret.

The text of the court filing, which relates to a completely separate case, includes two mentions of someone called Assange, including a suggestion that the documentation in the case would need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested in connection with the charges.

In January, lawyers for Assange said they are taking action aimed at making Donald Trumps administration reveal charges secretly filed against the WikiLeaks founder.

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Why is WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Ecuador's embassy ...

A senior Ecuadorean official said no decision has been made to expel Julian Assange from the countrys London embassy despite tweets from WikiLeaks that sources had told it he could be kicked out within hours to days.

A small group of protesters and supporters of the WikiLeaks founder gathered Thursday local time outside the embassy in London where Assange has been holed up since August 2012.

He has feared extradition to the US since WikiLeaks published thousands of classified military and diplomatic cables.

WikiLeaks tweeted today that its founder would be turfed out of the embassy in London where he has lived for more than six years.

A high level source within the Ecuadorean state has told @WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within hours to days using the #INAPapers offshore scandal as a pretext and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest, the tweet said.

But a top official said while Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno was angered by the apparent hacking of his personal communications, he denied WikiLeaks claim and said no decision had been taken to expel Assange from the Embassy.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorised to discuss the matter.

The news comes after the INA Papers website published allegations of corruption involving Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno.

Earlier WikiLeaks told AP: If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publishers asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind.

In an interview broadcast by several Ecuadorean radio stations on Tuesday, Mr Moreno said Mr Assange had repeatedly violated the conditions of his asylum at the countrys embassy in London.

Relations between Assange and his embassy hosts have been deteriorating for months.

In October, Assange sued Ecuador for violating his fundamental rights by limiting his access to the outside world after his internet and mobile phone access were blocked back in March.

Ecuadors government has accused him of breaking a written commitment not to interfere in its foreign policies.

It is not that he cannot speak freely, it is not that he cannot express himself freely, but he cannot lie, let alone hack into accounts or intercept private telephone calls under the terms of his asylum agreement, Mr Moreno said.

Mr Morenos comments come after the Ecuadorean government filed a formal complaint to the UN special rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci, accusing WikiLeaks of spreading private information linked to Mr Moreno.

Photos, videos and private conversations appeared on portals such as Twitter and Facebook.

Mr Moreno was also forced to deny allegations of corruption which surfaced on the website inapapers.org, with the president claiming he knew who was responsible for the accusations.

Assange sought refuge at the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced accusations of sexual assault that prosecutors in Stockholm have since abandoned.

He has refused to leave the embassy to avoid extradition to the United States to face charges over his website publishing huge caches of hacked State Department and Pentagon files in 2010.

The Australian denies the rape claims, and said he feared Sweden would pass him on to US authorities if he was extradited. The Swedish chief prosecutor dropped proceedings against him in 2017 because going ahead and serving notice of charges would necessitate Assanges presence in court.

Mr Moreno reiterated Tuesday that the government continues to seek a solution to Assanges situation.

More here:
Julian Assange expected to be expelled from Ecuadorean ...

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April 6, 2019, 10:38 AM GMT

By Linda Givetash

LONDON Ecuador has denied WikiLeaks' claims that it is set to expel Julian Assange from its embassy in London, rejecting what it called "an attempt to stain the dignity of the country."

Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, hasn't left the embassy since 2012. He sought refuge there to avoid arrest and potential extradition to the United States for publishing thousands of classified military and diplomatic cables on the website.

The organization has also repeatedly claimed that the U.S. Justice Department is building a criminal case against Assange centered on the leaking of Democratic emails hacked by the Russians in the 2016 election.

On Friday, WikiLeaks tweeted that Assange would be expelled from the embassy "within 'hours to days'" and claimed that Ecuador "already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest."

Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late Friday that Assange and WikiLeaks have shown "ingratitude and disrespect" toward the country that has given him protection on its diplomatic soil by fueling rumors that he would be handed over to British authorities.

Ecuador "has made significant expenditures to pay for his stay" and has "endured its rudeness," the ministry said.

The latest reports surrounding Assange's potential release brought renewed attention to the embassy, a red-brick building in a quiet, upscale area in the southwest of the British capital.

On Friday a few protesters gathered outside along with members of the media.

Assange, who is originally from Australia, founded WikiLeaks in 2006. The website gained global attention in 2010 with the publication of leaks provided by Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst in Iraq and self-described whistleblower. Manning in March refused to testify before a federal grand jury looking into the release of documents to WikiLeaks.

Assange could also face legal troubles in Britain for violating bail conditions related to an international arrest warrant issued by the Swedish government over allegations of sexual assault and rape. Assange has denied the allegations and surrendered to British police. But once released on bail, he fled.

Sweden has since dropped its investigation and Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Friday that Assange is "a free man, he can leave that embassy whenever he wants to."

Local police said in a statement there is an active warrant for Assange's arrest and that the police are "obliged to execute that warrant should he leave the Embassy."

Assange became an Ecuadorian citizen last year despite his increasingly strained relations with the country.

The government cut off his access to the internet in 2016 after WikiLeaks published a trove of Democratic emails during the U.S. presidential campaign, saying it was preventing him from interfering in the affairs of other countries.

Last month, Ecuador's National Assembly issued a resolution to investigate if Assange played a role in the publishing of private information about President Lenn Moreno on social networks.

On Tuesday, Moreno blamed WikiLeaks for recent allegations of offshore corruption that appeared in local media outlets and the publication of family photos to social media.

WikiLeaks in a statement called Moreno's charges "completely bogus," saying it reported on the accusations of corruption against the president only after Ecuador's legislature investigated the issue.

Moreno provided no evidence, but the speech reflected ongoing tension between Assange and his hosts at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in its statement late Friday that Ecuador had filed a complaint with the United Nations over what they called "illicit publications."

"Mr. Assange has rights but also obligations to comply with," it warned. "No person under the jurisdiction of Ecuador is above the Law."

Linda Givetash is a reporter based in London. She previously worked for The Canadian Press in Vancouver and Nation Media in Uganda.

Laura Saravia and Associated Press contributed.

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Ecuador rejects WikiLeaks claim it plans to expel Julian Assange

A timeline of all the key dates so far

Mr Assange came under intense scrutiny after the whistle-blowing website began releasing hundreds of thousands classified US diplomatic cables.

- 2010August: An arrest warrant is issued for Mr Assange for two separate allegations - one of rape and one of molestation - after he visits Sweden for a speaking trip. He is questioned by police in Stockholm and denies the allegations.November: Stockholm District Court approves a request to detain the WikiLeaks founder for questioning on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion. An international arrest warrant is issued by Swedish police through Interpol.

December: Mr Assange presents himself to London police and appears at an extradition hearing where he is remanded in custody. At a later hearing, he is granted conditional bail but is kept behind bars after Swedish authorities challenge the decision.Mr Assange is granted conditional bail at the High Court in London after his supporters pay 240,000 in cash and sureties.

- 2011February: District Judge Howard Riddle rules that Mr Assange should be extradited to Sweden and denies this would breach his human rights. Mr Assange vows to fight the decision.November: Mr Assange loses a High Court appeal against the decision to extradite him.

- 2012May: The UK Supreme Court upholds the High Court decision in the case, ruling that extradition is lawful and can go ahead. The Supreme Court later rejects a move by Mr Assange to reopen his appeal against his extradition, saying it is "without merit".

June 19: Mr Assange enters the Ecuadorian embassy in London, requesting political asylum. A day later, Scotland Yard confirms he will be subject to arrest for breaching his bail conditions.

August 16: Mr Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador.

August 19: Mr Assange makes his first public appearance in two months on the Ecuadorian embassy's balcony and calls for the US government to "renounce its witch-hunt" against WikiLeaks.

November: Ecuador's ambassador to the UK, Ana Alban, says Mr Assange is suffering a chronic lung condition after spending months inside a one-room office at the embassy. The Ecuadorian government later plays down the health fears and says Mr Assange "does not have an urgent medical condition".

December: Mr Assange marks the six-month anniversary inside the embassy by making a rare public appearance on balcony to say the "door is open" for talks to break the deadlock over his campaign to avoid extradition to Sweden.

- 2013June: Mr Assange tells a group of journalists he will not leave the embassy even if sex charges against him are dropped, because he fears moves are already under way to extradite him to the United States.

- 2014July: Mr Assange loses a legal bid to have an arrest warrant issued in Sweden against him cancelled. A judge in Stockholm decided to uphold the warrant against him for alleged sexual offences against two women.

August: Mr Assange tells a press conference he will be leaving the embassy soon following speculation that he is seeking hospital treatment for heart and lung problems. He later brushes off reports that he is about to give up his fight against extradition to Sweden.

November: Mr Assange loses a legal move in a Swedish appeal court aimed at revoking his arrest warrant.

December: Mr Assange appears on the embassy's balcony to greet Noam Chomsky, the US philosopher and activist. Hollywood actor John Cusack also visits the WikiLeaks founder later in the month.

- 2015March: Swedish prosecutors ask to question Mr Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

June: Mr Assange claims the Swedish prosecutor has cancelled an appointment to interview him at the embassy.

August 13: Swedish prosecutors drop investigations into some of the sex allegations against Mr Assange due to time restrictions. The investigation into suspected rape remains active.

August 16: Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire said Ecuador's decision to harbour Mr Assange in its embassy had prevented the proper course of justice. He said the UK continued to have a legal obligation to extradite him to Sweden, where he remained suspected of a sexual offence.

October 12: Metropolitan Police end their 24-hour guard outside the Ecuadorian Embassy. It breaks a three-year police operation which is estimated to have cost more than 12 million.

- 2016February 5: The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention says Mr Assange is being "arbitrarily detained" in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and calls on authorities to end his "deprivation of liberty".

The report is branded "frankly ridiculous" by then foreign secretary Philip Hammond - a response which Mr Assange described as "insulting".

February 9: Swedish prosecutors say they are working on a renewed request to interview Mr Assange at the embassy.

February 22: Lawyers for Mr Assange submit papers to a Swedish court, asking for his arrest warrant to be overturned.

March 24: The Government formally asks a UN Working Group to review its finding that Mr Assange was subject to arbitrary detention, saying the opinion was "deeply flawed".

March 25: A Swedish court refuses to drop an arrest warrant against Mr Assange.June 20: Ecuador reveals it has received a formal request from the Swedish authorities to interview Mr Assange.

August 9: Mr Assange files an appeal at Sweden's Court of Appeal of Svea, arguing the country must comply with the UN working group's findings that his deprivation of liberty was unlawful.

August 11: Ecuador announces that Mr Assange will be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in the embassy in London.

September 16: Sweden's Court of Appeal rejects a bid by Mr Assange to have his sex assault warrant dropped, saying no new information has emerged.

November 14: Mr Assange is questioned over the sex allegation at the Ecuadorian Embassy in the presence of Sweden's assistant prosecutor Ingrid Isgren and police inspector Cecilia Redell. The interview spans two days.

November 30: The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rejects a request by the UK Government to review the case of Mr Assange.

- 2017January 17: Barack Obama's decision to free whistleblower Chelsea Manning prompts speculation Mr Assange will end his self-imposed exile. WikiLeaks tweeted prior to the decision: "If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (Department of Justice) case."

January 19: Mr Assange tells a press conference that he stands by his offer to go to the US, provided his rights are respected.

March 9: Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage is spotted leaving the embassy where Mr Assange is being held.

April 21: America's attorney general Jeff Sessions says Mr Assange's arrest is a "priority" for the United States.

May 19: An investigation into a sex allegation against Mr Assange is suddenly dropped by Sweden's Director of Public Prosecution.

June 16: Mr Assange calls off a pre-planned speech from the embassy balcony to mark the fifth anniversary of his arrival there, following news of an "imminent meeting" with British authorities.

- 2018January 11: The UK Foreign Office turns down a request from the Ecuadorian government to grant Mr Assange diplomatic status.

Ecuador confirms it has granted citizenship to Mr Assange in December after he made a request in September.

January 26: Lawyers for Mr Assange tell a court the UK arrest warrant against him has "lost its purpose and its function".

February 6: Westminster Magistrates' Court says that the UK arrest warrant is still valid. Mr Assange vows to continue his legal fight. He later claims a package containing a "threat" and white substance was sent to him at the Ecuadorian Embassy.

February 7: Visits to Mr Assange from Pamela Anderson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel are reported.

February 13: Westminster Magistrates' Court upholds the warrant for the arrest of Mr Assange for skipping bail, in a judgment by Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot. She urges him to show the "courage" to appear in court.

March 28: The Ecuadorian Embassy suspends Mr Assange's internet access.The Ecuador Government says: "The measure was adopted due to Assange not complying with a written promise which he made with the government in late 2017, by which he was obliged not to send messages which entailed interference in relation to other states."

Supporters, including actress Pamela Anderson, musician Brian Eno, fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood and former Greek minister Yanis Varoufaki, urge Ecuador to reverse the ban.

June 7: Mr Assange receives a visit from officials from the Australian High Commission.

June 19: Vigils in several countries mark six years since Mr Assange entered the Ecuadorian Embassy.

July 30: Dame Vivienne Westwood designs a new T-shirt in support of the WikiLeaks founder, with a slogan which reads: "I fought the law".

August 9: The United States Senate committee asks to interview Mr Assange as part of their investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

September 27: Mr Assange steps down as editor of WikiLeaks.

October 19: Mr Assange reveals he is to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador, accusing it of violating his "fundamental rights and freedoms".

November 16: The US Department of Justice inadvertently names Mr Assange in a court document which suggests the WikiLeaks founder may have been charged in secret.

December 20: Mr Assange's father calls for the end to his son's "torment", following a visit to the embassy.

- 2019January 10: A legal defence fund is launched for Mr Assange amid fears that the WikiLeaks founder is under "increasingly serious threat".The Courage Foundation, which offers legal support for whistleblowers and journalists, said Mr Assange had become "isolated" inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, with "severe restrictions" on his communications and visitors.

January 23: Lawyers for Mr Assange say they are taking action aimed at making President Donald Trump's administration reveal charges "secretly filed" against the WikiLeaks founder.

April 5: WikiLeaks tweets that a high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told them Mr Assange will be expelled from the embassy within "hours or days".

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Julian Assange is to be expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy in London within hours ordays, according to a "high level source quoted by WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks claimed in a tweet that the Ecuadorian state has an agreement with UK authorities for its founders arrest when he is removed from the embassy.

Assange has been in Ecuador's London embassy since 2012 after he sought refuge there when a British judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.

A tweet from WikiLeaks on Thursday night read: A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told @WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within "hours to days" using the #INAPapers offshore scandal as a pretext--and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest.

Its comes afterEcuadors President Lenin Moreno said Assange has "repeatedly violated" the terms of his asylum in the London embassy, where he has lived for nearly seven years.

Ecuadors President Lenin Moreno (AFP/Getty Images)

Interviewed by the Ecuadorean Radio Broadcasters' Association, he said Assange does not have the right to "hack private accounts or phones" and cannot intervene in the politics of other countries, especially those that have friendly relations with Ecuador.

Assange has violated the agreement we reached with him and his legal counsel too many times," Moreno said in the interview in the city of Guayaquil.

"It is not that he cannot speak and express himself freely, but he cannot lie, nor much less hack private accounts or phones."

Moreno did not at the time say whether or not the government would take steps to remove Assange from the embassy

"If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publisher's asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind," WikiLeaks said.

Assange took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.

That probe was later dropped, but Assange fears he could be extradited to face charges in the United States, where federal prosecutors are investigating WikiLeaks.

Ecuador last year established new rules for Assange's behaviour while in the embassy, which required him to pay his medical bills and clean up after his pet cat.

He challenged the rules in local and international tribunals, arguing they violated his human rights. Both courts ruled against him.

Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is linked to the Organization of American States, rejected Assange's request that Ecuador ease the conditions it has imposed on his residence in the embassy.

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Julian Assange could be expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy ...

Updated April 05, 2019 16:11:24

WikiLeaks says high-level sources within Ecuador are signalling that Australian Julian Assange will be expelled from the country's London embassy within "hours to days".

In a tweet, WikiLeaks said Ecuador already had an agreement with the United Kingdom for Mr Assange's arrest.

Another tweet, posted an hour later, confirmed it had received "secondary confirmation from another high-level source".

It has been reported that Ecuador's President is trying to surrender the Australian in exchange for debt relief from the United States.

The ABC has not independently verified the WikiLeaks reports.

Earlier this week, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said Mr Assange had "repeatedly violated" the terms of his asylum in the Andean nation's embassy, where he has lived for nearly seven years.

Mr Moreno said Mr Assange did not have the right to "hack private accounts or phones" and could not intervene in the politics of other countries, especially those that have friendly relations with Ecuador.

Mr Moreno made the comments after private photographs of him and his family at a time years ago when they were living in Europe were circulated on social media.

Although he stopped short of explicitly blaming Mr Assange for the leak, the Government said it believed the photos were shared by WikiLeaks.

"Mr Assange has violated the agreement we reached with him and his legal counsel too many times," Mr Moreno told the Ecuadorean Radio Broadcasters Association.

"It is not that he cannot speak and express himself freely, but he cannot lie, nor much less hack private accounts or phones."

WikiLeaks claimed Mr Moreno's remarks were in retribution for it having reported on corruption accusations against him, although he denied wrongdoing.

"If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publisher's asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind," WikiLeaks said.

Supporters of Mr Assange have since gathered outside the embassy in wake of the decision, erecting tents containing teddy bears and lighting candles in protest.

Mr Assange took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.

That probe was later dropped, but Mr Assange fears he could be extradited to face charges in the United States, where federal prosecutors are investigating WikiLeaks.

While the only live criminal proceeding currently involving Mr Assange is his relatively minor failure to appear in court to face the Swedish extradition hearing, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and founder of The Intercept website Glenn Greenwald believes Mr Assange will still be arrested as soon as he leaves the embassy building.

"He will be arrested on that charge," Greenwald told the ABC's The Signal podcast.

"And the question then is: what would the British authorities do?

"Maybe they will try to throw the book at him by making it a more serious charge that could put him in prison up to a year.

"But the bigger question still is whether the US Government will assert criminal charges against him and seek his extradition to the United States."

Relations between Mr Assange and Ecuador have grown increasingly prickly as the years have dragged on, and the Australian has faced increasing pressure to leave the embassy in recent months.

Suggesting that months of quiet diplomacy between the UK and Ecuador to resolve Mr Assange's situation were bearing fruit, Mr Moreno said in December that "the road is clear for Mr Assange to take the decision to leave".

Mr Moreno last year cut off Mr Assange's access to the internet, ordering him to stick to a new set of house rules, including avoiding contentious political issues, cleaning his bathroom and looking after his cat if he wanted the internet reconnected.

Mr Assange in turn sued, saying his rights as an Ecuadorian he was granted citizenship last year as part of an apparent attempt to name him a diplomat and ferry him to Russia were being violated.

But a judge rejected his request to loosen the new living requirements, and among other stipulations, Assange was warned that if he did not properly feed and take care of his cat, the animal could be sent to the pound.

Ecuador's Government contended the requirements were aimed at peaceful cohabitation in tight quarters in the small embassy, where Mr Assange takes up more than a third of the space.

"It's clear this protocol was issued with strict respect for international law," Jose Valencia, Ecuador's foreign minister, said after the ruling.

ABC/Reuters

Topics:law-crime-and-justice,crime,courts-and-trials,ecuador,australia

First posted April 05, 2019 11:02:38

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Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, reportedly set to be ...

Ecuadors President Lenin Moreno has accused Julian Assange of violating the terms of his asylum and leaking private photos of Morenos family and friends online in the latest dust-up between the WikiLeaks founder and his increasingly frustrated hosts.

Speaking to the Ecuadorean Radio Broadcasters Association yesterday, Moreno suggested that Assange had been intercepting the presidents private messages and had even leaked photos of my bedroom, what I eat, and how my wife and daughters and friends dance, according to the Associated Press. Moreno reportedly provided no evidence of the hacking.

Assange has been holed up in Ecuadors embassy in London since he jumped bail on sexual assault-related charges from Sweden in 2012. Those charges have since been dropped over a technicality, but Assange still considers himself a prisoner in the embassy despite the fact that hes free to leave at any time. Assange has maintained for some time that he fears hell be extradited to the United States where prosecutors have filed unknown criminal charges against him.

The white-haired shit-stirrer also claims that hes being silenced because his internet access in the embassy was abruptly cut off a year ago. Officials from Ecuador accused Assange of meddling in international politics before his internet access was taken away.

Mr. Assange has violated the agreement we reached with him and his legal counsel too many times, Moreno said, according to an English translation by Reuters. It is not that he cannot speak and express himself freely, but he cannot lie, nor much less hack private accounts or phones.

Back in January of 2018, Moreno called Assange a nuisance and an inherited problem. Ecuadors previous president, Rafael Correa, was the one to originally grant Assange asylum and Moreno has seemed far less tolerant of Assanges provocative behavior. WikiLeaks has suggested that Morenos real problem is that Ecuadors alleged corruption has been exposed through the so-called INA Papers. Moreno is facing a corruption investigation brought by a rival lawmaker who suggests he took money from a Chinese company for a hydroelectric dam project. The money was allegedly laundered through a shell company in Panama, according to Venezuelan state media.

If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publishers asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind, WikiLeaks said in a statement to the Associated Press.

Assange, an Australian national, was given Ecuadorian citizenship in January of 2018 during an attempt to give him diplomatic immunity. Ecuador hoped that the move would allow Assange to leave the London embassy and find refuge in another country, but that plan failed.

Assange previously said that he would leave the embassy in London if whistleblower Chelsea Manning was released from prison. President Barack Obama commuted Mannings sentence shortly before leaving office in 2017, but Assange went back on his promise and said that President Obama only did it to make Assange look like a liar. Last month, Manning was placed back in solitary confinement, a punishment considered to be torture by prisoner advocacy organizations, for refusing to answer grand jury questions about WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks often tweets far-right talking points these days, and Assange has proved to be an unlikely ally of authoritarian-minded leaders around the world, like President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Assange has reportedly turned down dirt on the government of Russia, and the WikiLeaks Twitter account exchanged DMs with President Trumps son Don Jr. in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. That communication continued after the election as well, when WikiLeaks suggested that President Trump himself should appoint Assange to a position as an Australian government official.

It would be real easy and helpful for your dad to suggest that Australia appoint Assange ambassador to DC, the WikiLeaks account told Donald Trump Jr. via Twitter DM roughly a month after Trump won.

Assanges worldview, already strange by any normal human standards, has led his behavior to become more and more bizarre the longer he stays in the embassy. As just one example, the WikiLeaks team released a statement this past January with a confidential list of things that journalists were forbidden from saying about Julian Assange. The list reads like the rantings of someone whos truly unhinged.

Some things that journalists arent supposed to say about Assange, according to the list released by WikiLeaks:

It is false and defamatory to suggest that Julian Assange stinks.

It is false and defamatory to suggest that Julian Assange has ever tortured a cat or dog.

It is false and defamatory to suggest that Julian Assange does not use cutlery or does not wash his hands.

It is false and defamatory to suggest that Julian Assange lives, or has ever lived, in a basement, cupboard or under the stairs.

It is false and defamatory to suggest that Julian Assange has ever played soccer or used a skateboard during week days or office hours at the embassy.

It is false and defamatory to suggest that WikiLeaks or Julian Assange is tied to, or is close to, the Kremlin.

Assange will have been in the embassy for a full seven years this coming June. And its clearly taking a toll on him physically and mentally, as it would anybody. But Ecuador might be the only real friend he has left. And given the constant squabbling, that friendship looks like its about to break for good.

[Associated Press]

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