In defiance of pressure from the US and Britain, Ecuador has granted Julian Assange's request for asylum.
The founder of WikiLeaks has been holed up for two months in the Ecuadorean embassy in London awaiting the decision. The move leaves Mr. Assange with protection from arrest only on Ecuadorian territory, meaning he could only leave the embassy for Ecuador with British cooperation. The decision adds to sharp strains between Ecuador and Britain. Just before the announcement by Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino at a news conference in Quito, President Rafael Correa said: "No one is going to terrorize us!" The night before, Mr. Patino said the British authorities had threatened to force their way into the embassy, to which he responded: "We are not a British colony." RT reports that Britain has announced its intent not to let Assange out of the embassy. http://bit.ly/PqXr3d |