Julian Assange repeatedly violated the rules of asylum and tried to use the Ecuadorian embassy in London as a "center for espionage", Lenin Moreno, the president of Ecuador, told, "The Guardian".
Moreno added that he received official confirmation from Great Britain that Assange's basic rights will be respected and that he will not be extradited somewhere where the death penalty awaits him, Croatian Index reports.
Assange, 47, was detained by British police last Thursday after Ecuador revoked his political asylum, ending his almost seven-year stay in the country's embassy.
Abolition of asylum and accusations of sexual abuse
Namely, the co-founder of WikiLeaks, Assange, entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 precisely to avoid extradition to Sweden due to accusations of sexual abuse, which he claimed was part of a campaign against him.
For now, the US is seeking his extradition, after prosecutors there announced on Thursday that he was charged with conspiracy for trying to access a secret government computer along with former military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
Abolishing asylum is considered controversial in Ecuador. The previous president, Rafael Correa, accused his former political ally of "a crime that humanity will never forget" and described him as "the biggest traitor in the history of Ecuador and South America", writes "The Guardian".
Espionage Center
WikiLeaks has been linked to a campaign aimed at undermining Moreno's political influence, namely an anonymous website that claimed Moreno's brother had founded an offshore company. The material on the pages included private photos of Moreno and his family.
The Ecuadorian president denied in his first interview after revoking Assange's asylum that it was retaliation for leaked documents about his family and added that he regretted that Assange allegedly used the embassy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries.
"It is very regrettable that on our territory, the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, with the permission of the previous government, enabled the conditions for interference in the processes of other countries," said Moreno.
"We cannot allow our home, a home that opened its doors to a man in need, to become a center for spying," Moreno said.
"Such activities violate asylum rules. Our decision is not arbitrary, but based on international law," he added.
He will not be subjected to torture or the death penalty
The Ecuadorian president also emphasized that he had received an official guarantee that Assange's life would not be threatened.
"For us, the most important right is the right to life," he said.
"For this reason, we consulted the UK government about the possibility of extraditing Assange to third countries where he could be subjected to torture, ill-treatment or the death penalty. The United Kingdom has given us a written guarantee that he will not be extradited to any country where he could undergo such treatment," he added.
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