[sp332]

Why Ecuador, in particular? I just learned that they've adopted the US dollar as their currency, following devaluation of their old currency in 1999.

Edit: I checked, and Ecuador does have extradition treaties with both the UK and the US. I don't know about Sweden though.

Edit2: according to http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/06/19/assange_seeks... Ecuador has a treaty with the EU as well. But moving to Ecuador puts the decision in Ecuadorian hands instead of UK, so maybe he thinks they will stand up for him better.

[xefer]

I have a feeling he'll be "couch surfing" from embassy to embassy to delay the extradition as long as possible.

[marshray]

You don't think he'll be arrested the minute he sets foot out of the Ecuadorian?

[DrJokepu]

I really don't think that the Metropolitan Police is going to put officers outside the Ecuador Assembly 24/7 just in case Julian Assange leaves. It just doesn't sound like a good use of the officers' time.

[marshray]

The US would be happy to volunteer a few if it's a question of manpower. Britain would probably commit their own just to avoid that kind of situation.

It just doesn't sound like a good use of the officers' time.

They've had the guy detained without charge for 500-odd days. Facing some international criticism and generally looking like hypocrites whenever they want to criticize some other country for having political prisoners. The case has been through their Supreme Court and now there's yet another country involved in this international incident.

When I was in London last year there were helicopters circling continuously in some places. If Assange gives them the slip somehow, it's not going to be because the local police preferred to prioritize something else that day.

[planetguy]

> The US would be happy to volunteer a few if it's a question of manpower

How many times? This is nothing to do with the US. This is a UK-Sweden extradition of an Australian citizen. If the US DoJ ever gets off its ass and decides to press charges against Julian Assange (they've been sitting on their hands for a couple of years now) it's not gonna do it via some subtle cloak-and-dagger six-country shuffle, it'll just show up with a letter that says "o hai extradition plz".

[marshray]

Unless they prefer to detour his plane through Egypt or Syria first. Yeah, that happens sometimes.

[jellicle]

The United States wants Julian Assange considerably more than they wanted Osama bin Laden. There is not the slightest doubt that he will be led out of the embassy in handcuffs if Ecuador doesn't grant asylum.

[sp332]

Looks like marshray was right, actually. http://techtodayshow.com/wikileaks-assange-faces-arrest/

[planetguy]

I'm confused by the embassy's statement.

Is an embassy really obliged to shelter any foreign national who might show up on the run from the law for a fairly prosaic [ahem alleged] crime? If I knock over a gas station can I show up at the Tanzanian embassy, say "Hi, I'm a political refugee" and hang around for long enough for them to process this claim?

[anthonyb]

I think the circumstances around the case make it anything but prosaic.

[meric]

Ecuador offered Assange residency in 2010 (but rescinded later due to diplomatic pressure) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11874911

Maybe Assange thought it was worth trying a known "friendly" country first. Also the Ecuador government claimed it had nothing to lose from wikileaks' leaks, so if they really didn't maybe they'll be less likely to try to screw him.

[iand]

He's wanted in Sweden. Is there an extradition treaty between Ecuador and Sweden?

[fleitz]

Yes, but one would assume that this case from Sweden is part of what he's seeking asylum for.

I would imagine that if the Ecuadorian government was to grant asylum that its courts would likely find the extradition request to be political persecution and thus dismiss it for violating his rights under the UNHDR and/or Ecuadorian constitutions.

So, yes while most countries have extradition agreements, some have more respect for the rule of law than others.

He's not trying to avoid extradition so much as seeking a jurisdiction where he believe he'll be tried more fairly with respect to the UNHDR and other inalieable rights endowed by his creator.

[sp332]

Sweden is part of the EU, so yes.

[hjalle]

Ecuador is not a part of the EU (obviously) so that would not matter, would it?

[sp332]

Not sure if you saw my edit above, but Ecuador has an extradition treaty with the EU, which includes Sweden.

[iand]

ah, didn't see that edit