Assange asylum 'may harm Ecuador'

[struggle4progress]

7. Ecuador 'won't be bullied on Assange extradition'

... "We will consult with everyone we need to, but we will make a sovereign decision on whether or not to grant asylum to the Australian, Julian Assange," he said in an interview with local television station RTS ...

Mr Correa said he had "great respect" for London, for Stockholm and for Washington but that Ecuador would not allow those governments to dictate its decision on whether or not to grant Mr Assange political asylum.

He said the mere possibility that Mr Assange could face capital punishment in the United States could be reason enough for his government to grant Mr Assange's asylum petition, if there was a chance he could end up there.

"If Assange's life is at risk, that is sufficient cause to approve his asylum," the leftist leader said, noting that "the death penalty exists in the United States for political crimes" ...

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world/ecuador-wont-be-bullied-on-assange/story-fnd12peo-1226423044072