World Julian Assange tried to use embassy to spy, says Ecuador's president
Julian Assange tried to use embassy to spy, says Ecuador's president
Published April 15, 2019 Updated April 15, 2019
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange repeatedly violated his asylum conditions and tried to use the Ecuadorian embassy in London as a centre for spying, Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno told Britain's Guardian newspaper.
London police dragged Mr. Assange out of the embassy on Thursday after his seven-year asylum was revoked, paving the way for his extradition to the United States for one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information.
Mr. Assange's relationship with his hosts collapsed after Ecuador accused him of leaking information about Mr. Moreno's personal life.
Mr. Moreno denied to The Guardian that he had acted as a reprisal for the way in which documents about his family had been leaked. He said he regretted that Mr. Assange had used the embassy to interfere in other country's democracies.
"Any attempt to destabilize is a reprehensible act for Ecuador, because we are a sovereign nation and respectful of the politics of each country," Mr. Moreno told The Guardian by e-mail.
"We cannot allow our house, the house that opened its doors, to become a centre for spying," The Guardian quoted Mr. Moreno as saying.
Supporters of Mr. Assange said Ecuador had betrayed him at the behest of Washington, that the ending of his asylum was illegal and that it marked a dark moment for press freedom.
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