Ecuador Planned to Move Julian Assange to Moscow as a Diplomat

[orangecrush]

Ecuador granted citizenship to Julian Assange as part of a failed attempt to transfer the WikiLeaks founder to Russia as a diplomat, documents provided by an opposition Ecuadorian lawmaker showed.

The plan consisted in appointing Assange as an Ecuadorian diplomat to Moscow, allowing him to leave the London embassy where he sought refuge six years ago. Documents made public by legislator Paola Vintimilla showed Quito granted him citizenship on December 12, three months after he requested it and about a week after he voluntarily renounced his asylum status.

If successful, the move would allow Ecuador to put an end to a stand-off that President Lenin Moreno has called a “stone in the shoe” inherited by his administration. Assange fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced rape accusations, or to the U.S., where he would likely face sanctions for publishing secret government communications.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-17/ecuador-planned-to-move-julian-assange-to-moscow-as-a-diplomat

[Blue_Tires]

1. Yeah, Ecuador has been trying to get rid of him for years while not losing face

This was first revealed a couple months ago

[orangecrush]

2. Assange

works for Putin.

[Blue_Tires]

4. Yeah, that part isn't in dispute

I don't think even Julian bothers to deny it anymore

[orangecrush]

10. He helped russia interfere

in our election.

[Cha]

3. Assange coulda been a Diplomat! Wah! What karma

that asshole has accrued.

[orangecrush]

9. His bed

He made it.

[wryter2000]

5. Poor Ecuador

Can't someone else take him for a while?

[orangecrush]

8. ...

[Renew Deal]

6. Why do they protect him?

I never understood what their interest was to protect him

[orangecrush]

7. The backing

of Russia, most likely.

[Cha]

11. Good question and look what happened.

[orangecrush]

12. Yep!