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General News 4/4/2019 at 22:37:47 H3'ed 4/4/19

Assange Arrest is Imminent

Quicklink Submitted By Josh Mitteldorf (# of views) 5 comments

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BREAKING: 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.

Ecuador twists embarrassing INA papers into excuse to oust Assange
(Image by Wikileaks) Details DMCA

Read the rest of the story HERE:

At twitter.com

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3 people are discussing this page, with 5 comments

David Watts

(Member since Jan 31, 2008), 11 fans, 13 articles, 22 quicklinks, 1862 comments, 27 diaries

"Lawmaker Ronny Aleaga told reporters that he received a dossier anonymously filled with documents that will implicate Lenin Moreno and his family in alleged crimes of corruption, perjury and money laundering.

"The documents are known as the "INA Papers" that links Moreno and the Chinese company Sinohydro that built the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam, which, according to the lawmaker, deposited US$18 million in the offshore company Recorsa."

Link to the following:

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On 26 March, WikiLeaks' Twitter account announced that President Moreno is being investigated by Ecuador's Congress for corruption, sparked by the INA Papers leak. The same tweet referenced President Moreno's attempt to surrender Assange in exchange for US debt relief, a fact that had been reportedby The New York Times. The following day, Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said that the WikiLeaks tweet was "an absurd lie to harm the dignity of our country" we will not tolerate" inventions and insults" I cannot anticipate when and when we will take action in relation to this, but we will take action for certain."

On 28 March, Communications Minister Andre's Michelena told CNN Español that the INApapers were part of a plot of Julian Assange, Venezuelan President Maduro and former Ecuadorian President Correa to bring down Moreno's government. He added, "You have to understand how these people are connected, Mr. Assange is the Troll Center, the hacker for former President Correa, [Assange] handles the technological and social media side."

That same day, the national assembly, in which Moreno's party and other right parties command a majority, passed a resolution inviting the Foreign Ministry to take action against Assange's asylum on the basis of the INApapers leak "in the national interest" if it considers it pertinent to do so.

In March 2019, Moreno's approval ratings dropped to 17%. Statements by the government of Ecuador deliberately implicate WikiLeaks in the INApapers leak. For example, Ecuador's Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner said in a local radio interview, "What Wikileaks and other political actors have done, to publish private photos of the President of the Republic, of his family, is a despicable, repugnant, and odious act."

The Foreign Minister said in a radio interview: "It is absolutely outrageous, reproachable, it shows Assange for what he is" of course we will act. We will not allow his website to interfere in the private channels of communication of the Ecuadorian head of state". he is biting the hand that feeds him."

Foreign Minister Jose' Valencia has stated: "we are going to analyze whether Mr. Julian Assange's aggressive publications against the Ecuadorian state merits a legal action by the Ecuadorian state."

On 1 April, Ecuador submitted a request to the United Nations Rapporteur on Privacy to take urgent measures in response to the INApapers publication, listing WikiLeaks as the responsible party.

President Moreno, desperate to divert public attention away from the scandal, is using the claims as a pretext to oust Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. On 2 April, the President statedthat Assange has "violated the 'conditions' of his asylum" and that he will "take a decision" "in the short term." He said, "In WikiLeaks there is proof of espionage, of hacking, of the fact that phones have been intercepted and private conversations, there are even pictures of my bedroom."

Assange's lawyer in Ecuador, Carlos Poveda, explained that Assange had nothing to do with the publication: "Remember that WikiLeaks has an internal organization and Mr. Assange is no longer in the editor. We will now resort to other types of situations, especially the Inter-American Commission". (Listen to audio here.)

Nevertheless, Ecuador's Vice President, Otto Sonnenholzner, has suggested that Assange would be prosecuted over what he described as a WikiLeaks "hack," alluding to the rigid protocol that Ecuador has imposed on Assange to maintain a constant threat of expulsion.

The INA Papers are a set of documents published in February 2019, allegedly uncovering the operations of INA Investment Corp, an offshore tax haven created by the brother of Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno. The trove of emails, phone communications and expense receipts are said to link the president and his family to a series of corrupt and criminal dealings, including money laundering and offshore accounts. The leak has sparked a congressional investigation into President Moreno for corruption. Moreno can't be summoned for a criminal probe while he remains president. He is currently being investigated and risks impeachment.

Former Consul of Ecuador Fidel Navarez denounces the "resolution based on a lie" that blames Assange for the INA Papers:

The recent reaction of the Ecuadorian government to the INAPAPERS scandal could not be worse. Instead of clarifying and making the issue transparent, the government spokesmen, to divert attention from the still timorous official investigations, position a monumental lie, accusing WikiLeaks of having leaked communications and images of President Moreno's family circle.
Not a single document referring to INAPAPERS, or the president's family, has ever been leaked or published by WikiLeaks, let alone by Julian Assange, who for more than half a year has not been its editor and who has been isolated for one year under a regime quasi-prison by the government of Ecuador.
Despite being an outrageous accusation, the farce has reached the point that the Ecuadorian National Assembly has issued a resolution to investigate Julia'n and encourages the government to take measures to "safeguard national interests." In short, the government seeks a false pretext to end the asylum and protection of Julian Assange.

Submitted on Friday, Apr 5, 2019 at 2:25:34 AM

(0+)

Devil's Advocate

(Member since Nov 9, 2014), 9 fans, 2410 comments

My kingdom for a really good drone!

Submitted on Friday, Apr 5, 2019 at 3:27:09 AM

(0+)

Devil's Advocate

(Member since Nov 9, 2014), 9 fans, 2410 comments

Merano's probably saying "hours" now, just to get everyone waiting all weekend for something to happen. After they're exhausted and the vigil dies enough, maybe in the middle of the night a few days later, it'll happen.
[Saturday, 5:00am BST] Live streams seem to show there's barely anyone hanging around the embassy now, as it is. :(

Submitted on Friday, Apr 5, 2019 at 4:07:12 AM

(0+)

lila york

(Member since Feb 18, 2008), 96 fans, 63 articles, 96 quicklinks, 2352 comments

same story since the '60's. play ball with the US we give you millions and millions. don't play ball we kill you and everyone alive you care about. I hope John Perkins is following this.

Submitted on Friday, Apr 5, 2019 at 4:11:00 PM

(0+)

Devil's Advocate

(Member since Nov 9, 2014), 9 fans, 2410 comments

My heart goes out to the handful of people protesting around the embassy. It's hard to tell, but there appears to be about 12 of them.

Though there needs to be a helluva lot more such supporters there, for impact, they're making noise, keeping cameras going, and drawing attention as much as they can.

Submitted on Friday, Apr 5, 2019 at 5:04:07 PM

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