Julian Assange will stay in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London as long as the United States government continues its case against him for his work on whistleblowing website Wikileaks, his lawyers said on March 19.
The recent development of the Swedish prosecutors agreeing to question Assange over two cases of sexual assault in 2010 within the embassy has led to speculation that he could leave the building, where he has taken refuge for over 1000 days, if the Swedish charges are dropped.
Assange, who has never been charged, has always denied the sexual assault allegations.
In an interview with TeleSUR marking his 1000th day in the embassy, Assange made it clear that it was not just Sweden's warrant that prevented him from leaving.
“The UK has said that even if that happens they are going to arrest me anyway and you also have the US case,” he told TeleSUR. No guarantees have been given that the publisher would not be extradited to the US for questioning over his role in creating Wikileaks.
However, Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño remains positive due to the Swedish prosecutors coming to London. “This allows us to see a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said in a March 19 interview in Washington.
[Abridged from TeleSUR English.]
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