WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be expelled from Ecuadorian embassy within ‘hours to days’
Julian Assange is set to be expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy he has been residing in since 2012 within the next few hours to days, according to WikiLeaks, which quotes a "high level source" within the Ecuador state department.
Assange has sought refuge inside the embassy in London since a British judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault.
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Although that case was dropped in 2017, Assange did not leave the embassy out of fear he would be extradited to the US to face charges over WikiLeaks' release of sensitive US government information.
But it now appears that the 47-year-old will be forced out of refuge, a senior Ecuador state department source told WikiLeaks late on Thursday.
In the report, WikiLeaks claims the Ecuadorian embassy "already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest" as soon as he leaves.
The founder of the secret-leaking website also has an arrest warrant with his name on it from the Met Police after he absconded in 2010 while on bail.
It is reported that the move from Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno is part of a deal to receive some debt relief from the US, with the WikiLeaks post claiming he wants to cover up activities related to an off-shore tax haven, known as the INA papers, but Assange's lawyer has reportedly said his client had nothing to do with the leak of those papers.
A senior Ecuadorian official has denied Assange will be evicted from his residence in the embassy, telling the Associated Press that no decision has been made, while a statement from the country's foreign ministry said that it "doesn't comment on rumours, theories or conjectures that don't have any documented backing".
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Assange had a run-in with the Ecuadorian embassy last October, when he claimed his "fundamental rights" were being overlooked to coerce him into leaving.
Ecuador's government revealed in March last year that his internet access had been taken away for breaking a written agreement not to interfere with the country's foreign policies.