WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange was arrested in London on Thursday, April 11. Assange’s arrest comes nearly seven years after seeking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy. The Ecuadorian government recently withdrew its asylum for Assange which led to U.K. MetPolice arresting the Australian national.
Assange was taken into custody at a local London police station.
Assange was arrested on behalf of an extradition warrant from the United States.
You can watch the video of Assange being removed from the Ecuadorian embassy below.
Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said Assange’s asylum status was revoked because he “repeatedly violated international conventions.”
“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 transgression of international treaties, have led the situation to a point where the asylum of Mr Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable,” Moreno added in a video statement.
President Lenín Moreno says Ecuador has withdrawn asylum status from #WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after he 'repeatedly violated international conventions'.
Mr Assange was arrested outside the Ecuadorian embassy in #London earlier today: https://t.co/qJTfYrVNCr pic.twitter.com/ulcQcUZtE0
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) April 11, 2019
WikiLeaks, meanwhile is accusing Ecuador of “illegally” terminating Assange’s political asylum status.
“Ecuador has illegally terminated Assange political asylum in violation of international law. He was arrested by the British police inside the Ecuadorian embassy minutes ago,” WikiLeaks said in a statement on Twitter. “Julian Assange did not ‘walk out of the embassy.’ The Ecuadorian ambassador invited British police into the embassy and he was immediately arrested.
“This man is a son, a father, a brother. He has won dozens of journalism awards. He’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize every year since 2010. Powerful actors, including CIA, are engaged in a sophisticated effort to dehumanize, delegitimize and imprison him.”
URGENT: Ecuador has illigally terminated Assange political asylum in violation of international law. He was arrested by the British police inside the Ecuadorian embassy minutes ago.https://t.co/6Ukjh2rMKD
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 11, 2019
Assange first sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 in order to avoid being extradited to Sweden amid a sexual assault case. He remained in the embassy and had feared being extradited to the United States for WikiLeaks’ involvement in releasing secret information about government officials.
He is also accused of leaking personal information about President Moreno’s life and family, which led to their relationship souring before his arrest.
Assange is currently 47 years old.
