warned last week that Ecuador was preparing in revoke Assange's asylum based on the claim that he violated its terms, Assange was ousted on Thursday morning, and is now in the custody of British police.
He will likely face extradition to the US, after a sealed indictment against him were accidentally revealed last year. Wikileaks accused Ecuador of illegally terminating Assange's asylum
, adding that the Ecuadorian ambassador invited police inside the embassy to take Assange into custody.In a tweet published moments ago, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said that Assange's "discourteous and aggressive" behavior, as well as "hostile" acts committed by Wikileaks, pushed Ecuador to revoke his asylum. Moreno cited Wikileaks' publication of sensitive Vatican documents earlier this year as the straw that finally broke the camel's back. Members of the organization purportedly visited Assange in the embassy after the leak, apparently substantiating suspicions that Assange was still in charge of the organization.
Furthermore, Moreno declared his asylum "unsustainable and no longer viable" because Assange had repeatedly violated "clear cut provisions of the conventions of on diplomatic asylum."
Following reports last week that the termination of Assange's asylum was imminent, a UN envoy on torture warned Ecuador that revoking Assange's protection would be a violation, since he could face "torture" and mistreatment should he be extradited to the US. Assange's relationship with his host had become increasingly strained over the past year. Last year, Ecuador briefly revoked some of Assange's "privileges", including access to the Internet, over his 'poor hygiene habits', the #INAPapers about offshore money laundering, implicating the Ecuadorian president in a corruption scandal.
The expulsion comes just a day after Wikileaks held a press conference accusing Ecuador of carrying out an "extensive spying operation"on Assange and handing intel over to the British and American authorities.
- Source, Zero Hedge