Assange To Be Expelled From Ecuadorian Embassy Within "Hours Or Days"

5 April 2019, 14:46

Supporters of Julian Assange protest outside the Ecuadorian embassy amid rumors the WikiLeaks founder is to be expelled
Supporters of Julian Assange protest outside the Ecuadorian embassy amid rumors the WikiLeaks founder is to be expelled. Picture: PA

WikiLeaks claim that Julian Assange will be expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy within "hours or days," citing a high level source within the Ecuadorian state.

In a post on Twitter, WikiLeaks said "if President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publisher’s asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind."

According to the Associated Press, a senior Ecuadorian official denied there were any plans to evict Mr Assange.

WikiLeaks claim that there are tensions due to a recent leak of documents, known as the INA papers. The papers were leaked to an Ecuadorian legislator which have implicated President Lenin Moreno in a corruption scandal.

Assange has been in the embassy since 2012, when he sought asylum following a British judge ruling he should be extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.

The case was dropped by Sweden in 2017, but Mr Assange refuses to come out citing fears he will be extradited to the US following the publication of thousands of classified military and diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks.

Supporters of the WikiLeaks founder have been gathering outside the embassy since the early hours of the morning.