Assange is being investigated on allegations of sexual assault and rape of two women. He will accept arrest if a UN panel finds him guilty.
Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, is set to leave the Ecusdorian embassy on Friday. Assange will leave the embassy where he had taken refuge since June 2012, in order to avoid extradition to Sweden. He will accept arrest if he loses the case against him, being investigated by a UN panel. The statement was posted on the Wikileaks Twitter account today. “"Should the U.N. announce tomorrow that I have lost my case against the United Kingdom and Sweden, I shall exit the embassy at noon on Friday to accept arrest by British police as there is no meaningful prospect of further appeal," Assange wrote. "However, should I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return of my passport and the termination of further attempts to arrest me,” he added.
Assange: I will accept arrest by British police on Friday if UN rules against me. More info: https://t.co/Mb6gXlz7QS pic.twitter.com/mffVsqKj5w
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 4, 2016
Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London back in 2012. He is wanted for questioning over allegations that include sexual assault and rape of two women in 2010, although he has denied the accusations. According to reports last month, Assange was to be questioned by Swedish authorities in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa, confirmed that the country had struck a deal with prosecutors from Sweden to allow said questioning without the Wikileaks founder having to leave the embassy building.
According to Correa, the Swedish authorities were to submit their questions to Ecuadorian officials, who would then cross question Assange on the same, said reports. Assange had taken refuge in the embassy in order to avoid extradition to Sweden. He was afraid that he could be transported to the US and questioned about Wikileaks activities, which had harmed US’ foreign policy interests in the past. Negotiations over questioning Assange by Swedish authorities had begun in June, 2015, between Ecuador’s acting foreign minister Xavier Lasso and Anna-Carin Svensson, Justice Ministry International Affairs Chief of Sweden.
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Prasid Banerjee
Trying to explain technology to my parents. Failing miserably. View Full Profile
