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> URGENT: Ecuador has illegally terminated Assange political asylum in violation of international law. He was arrested by the British police inside the Ecuadori

> URGENT: Ecuador has illegally terminated Assange political asylum in violation of international law. He was arrested by the British police inside the Ecuadorian embassy minutes ago. Source: https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/1116273826621480960 https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/1116273826621480960 Holy moly, this will be interesting! EDIT: If you're interested, here's a video of him being escorted out of the embassy -- https://twitter.com/RitaPanahi/status/1116281098747568128 https://twitter.com/RitaPanahi/status/1116281098747568128 EDIT2: Comments from Snowden advising journalists to cover the story with authentic facts: https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/1116285397284290560 https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/1116285397284290560

peteretep 8y ago
“illegally terminated” That’s not how that works
- lazyjones 8y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-refoulement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-refoulement
  - peteretep 8y ago
    > to a country in which they would be in likely danger of persecution based on "race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion" Which, precisely, of these categories do you think he fits under here?
    - malms 8y ago
      membership of a particular social group or political opinion
      - envy2 8y ago
        I'm relatively neutral on Wikileaks/Assange, but this is a stretch. I don't think "illegally leaking documents" counts as a political opinion any more than I should be entitled to asylum because I have a "political opinion" that MDMA synthesis should be legal and got caught for engaging in it. That's intended to cover things like persecution solely for being a member of a political party.
        malms 8y ago
        it's not so much a stretch to say "transparency" is a political opinion.. i'm not even so much agreeing with what he did and full transparency, but to me all of this is clearly political.
        themacguffinman 8y ago
        Everything is political opinion, but the legal standards are much narrower. The idea that I can hold a political opinion that "I should not be arrested for breaking laws", break a law, and then expect not to be arrested because of my political opinion is ridiculous.
      - toby- 8y ago
        I'm firmly against his potential extradition to any other country, but let's be honest -- he's not exactly in trouble with British authorities due to his "political opinions", is he?
        malms 8y ago
        why is he in trouble for then ?
        foldr 8y ago
        Skipping bail.
        toby- 8y ago
        Skipping bail. For refusing to surrender to the court after he was released on bail, following his arrest for questioning over sexual assault allegations.
        djsumdog 8y ago
        From charges that were dropped.
        peteretep 8y ago
        A central tenet of the UK legal system is that people on bail don't get to unilaterally decide they should just be able to skip it.
        DanBC 8y ago
        Also, the victims of crime don't get to "press charges" ro "drop charges", that's for the CPS.
        sambe 8y ago
        The charges were dropped because the warrants could not be served.
      - u320 8y ago
        There is no obvious threat of persecution. Facing rape charges certainly doesn't qualify.
      - FireBeyond 8y ago
        Assange is in danger of "persecution" based on his avoidance of the judicial process. That's not a protected class.
    - TumorousJoker 8y ago
      > > membership of a particular social group or political opinion
  - threeseed 8y ago
    You missed the key point. It's up to the Ecuadorian government to decide whether the threat of danger is legitimate or not.
  - stupidcar 8y ago
    It says it applies to the generic repatriation of refugees, not the specific repatriation of a political asylum seeker like Assange. There's also no evidence that Assange faces political persecution in the UK. His stated concern is about extradition to the USA, in which case he should apply for political asylum in the UK.
    - anoncake 8y ago
      > His stated concern is about extradition to the USA, in which case he should apply for political asylum in the UK. If I faced extradition to the USA, I am not sure if I would trust the UK to protect me.
  - 86carr 8y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik
- anoncake 8y ago
  Revoking his asylum could be in violation of Ecuadorian law. (But IANAL specialized in Ecuadorian asylum law)
- ryanlol 8y ago
  He's an Ecuadorian citizen. Does the Ecuadorian law allow for the extradition of Ecuadorian citizens? It's quite common for this to be illegal. Of course this wouldn't be your typical extradition as he was already on UK ground, but I think it would not be unreasonable for a court to view this as an extradition.
  - peteretep 8y ago
    > He's an Ecuadorian citizen Your information is a few hours out of date > Does the Ecuadorian law allow for the extradition of Ecuadorian citizens Yes, and also specifically to America, for what it's worth > this wouldn't be your typical extradition That's because it wouldn't be an extradition. Embassies are not extra-territorial. British police didn't storm the embassy largely out of politeness and convention.
    - ryanlol 8y ago
      >That's because it wouldn't be an extradition. Embassies are not extra-territorial. British police didn't storm the embassy largely out of politeness and convention. My comment specifically acknowledged this, however I see a very real chance that a court might view this as an extradition. It is the .ec government handing him over to a foreign country after all.
threeseed 8y ago
Of course Ecuador can revoke asylum. It's very common practice around the world if a person's circumstances change and their original country is now safe. Likewise if Ecuador believes that there is no longer a threat to Assange they can revoke it.
- anoncake 8y ago
  > Likewise if Ecuador believes that there is no threat to Assange that can revoke it. Thats a stretch considering they invited the police to arrest him.
  - Traster 8y ago
    The police were arresting him for skipping bail - that's not a political asylum issue.
    - anoncake 8y ago
      No, but politically persecuting Assange under pretexts is. Since (I assume) Ecuador protected him not because they oppose persecution for sexual assault, but because they believed that was a pretext for political persecution, I do not see how the circumstances have changed. Except for the Ecuadorian embassy staff reportedly getting fed up with Assange, of course.
      - Traster 8y ago
        One of the ways that things have changed is the continued illegal political campaigning whilst in the embassy that Assange is accused of. Asylum doesn't give protection against breaking the law in the host country.
    - monocasa 8y ago
      The police were arresting him to extradite him to the US. https://www.theguardian.com/media/live/2019/apr/11/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-arrested-at-the-ecuadorean-embassy-live-updates https://www.theguardian.com/media/live/2019/apr/11/wikileaks... > Scotland Yard has confirmed that Assange was arrested on behalf of the US after receiving a request for his extradition.
engineeringwoke 8y ago
International law isn't enforcable, really. It would be great if it were, but why would sovereigns give up absolute control of their legal systems?
- cm2187 8y ago
  There isn’t really such thing as international law. Only treaties between states that are sovereign, and as such can tear them up if they do not wish to abide to them anymore.
  - Mvandenbergh 8y ago
    "International rules and customs" would be a better term. International Law is real but it is not "law" in remotely the same way that domestic laws are and using the same word for them is confusing.
    - SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
      Rules, customs and precedent. Which is pretty much the basis for law anywhere.
daw___ 8y ago
What does Julian say in the video?
- dijit 8y ago
  "UK has no sovereignty!" "UK must resist" "Resist this attempt by the Trump administration" and something else when he's in the van which I can't make out with people talking over it.
  - dao- 8y ago
    > "Resist this attempt by the Trump administration" Funny. Trump has said he loves WikiLeaks, and likely has no interest in Assange getting extradited to the US.
    - fixermark 8y ago
      Problem is, Trump says a lot of things that he doesn't mean. Or he forgets, it's a little unclear. But the American intelligence community appears very interested in the guy and is known to have been working on extradition process in 2018. If the American intelligence community wants to extradite Assange, I don't doubt somebody high-ranking in the CIA will sit down with the president and by the end of the meeting, have him thoroughly convinced that he's wanted Assange's extradition all along. They have agents trained in psychological operations and negotiation, and Trump is demonstrably an easy mark.
      - dao- 8y ago
        > Problem is, Trump says a lot of things that he doesn't mean. Or he forgets, it's a little unclear. Unlikely, as it could play a big role in the whole ongoing public debate about the Trump-Russia connection. > But the American intelligence community appears very interested in the guy and is known to have been working on extradition process in 2018. Yep, but "Trump administration" seems to suggest that Trump is directing this, which seems comical to me.
      - lolc 8y ago
OrgNet 8y ago
Here's a video that shows two guys that were present during his arrest: https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/1115126062961373184 https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/111512606296137318...
Grue3 8y ago
>Snowden advising journalists to cover the story with authentic facts >retweets Russia Today and Cassandra Fairbanks I can't believe people still defend this guy.

peteretep 8y ago

“illegally terminated” That’s not how that works

lazyjones 8y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-refoulement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-refoulement
- peteretep 8y ago
  > to a country in which they would be in likely danger of persecution based on "race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion" Which, precisely, of these categories do you think he fits under here?
  - malms 8y ago
    membership of a particular social group or political opinion
    - envy2 8y ago
      I'm relatively neutral on Wikileaks/Assange, but this is a stretch. I don't think "illegally leaking documents" counts as a political opinion any more than I should be entitled to asylum because I have a "political opinion" that MDMA synthesis should be legal and got caught for engaging in it. That's intended to cover things like persecution solely for being a member of a political party.
      - malms 8y ago
        it's not so much a stretch to say "transparency" is a political opinion.. i'm not even so much agreeing with what he did and full transparency, but to me all of this is clearly political.
        themacguffinman 8y ago
        Everything is political opinion, but the legal standards are much narrower. The idea that I can hold a political opinion that "I should not be arrested for breaking laws", break a law, and then expect not to be arrested because of my political opinion is ridiculous.
    - toby- 8y ago
      I'm firmly against his potential extradition to any other country, but let's be honest -- he's not exactly in trouble with British authorities due to his "political opinions", is he?
      - malms 8y ago
        why is he in trouble for then ?
        foldr 8y ago
        Skipping bail.
        toby- 8y ago
        Skipping bail. For refusing to surrender to the court after he was released on bail, following his arrest for questioning over sexual assault allegations.
        djsumdog 8y ago
        From charges that were dropped.
        peteretep 8y ago
        A central tenet of the UK legal system is that people on bail don't get to unilaterally decide they should just be able to skip it.
        DanBC 8y ago
        Also, the victims of crime don't get to "press charges" ro "drop charges", that's for the CPS.
        sambe 8y ago
        The charges were dropped because the warrants could not be served.
    - u320 8y ago
      There is no obvious threat of persecution. Facing rape charges certainly doesn't qualify.
    - FireBeyond 8y ago
      Assange is in danger of "persecution" based on his avoidance of the judicial process. That's not a protected class.
  - TumorousJoker 8y ago
    > > membership of a particular social group or political opinion
- threeseed 8y ago
  You missed the key point. It's up to the Ecuadorian government to decide whether the threat of danger is legitimate or not.
- stupidcar 8y ago
  It says it applies to the generic repatriation of refugees, not the specific repatriation of a political asylum seeker like Assange. There's also no evidence that Assange faces political persecution in the UK. His stated concern is about extradition to the USA, in which case he should apply for political asylum in the UK.
  - anoncake 8y ago
    > His stated concern is about extradition to the USA, in which case he should apply for political asylum in the UK. If I faced extradition to the USA, I am not sure if I would trust the UK to protect me.
- 86carr 8y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik
anoncake 8y ago
Revoking his asylum could be in violation of Ecuadorian law. (But IANAL specialized in Ecuadorian asylum law)
ryanlol 8y ago
He's an Ecuadorian citizen. Does the Ecuadorian law allow for the extradition of Ecuadorian citizens? It's quite common for this to be illegal. Of course this wouldn't be your typical extradition as he was already on UK ground, but I think it would not be unreasonable for a court to view this as an extradition.
- peteretep 8y ago
  > He's an Ecuadorian citizen Your information is a few hours out of date > Does the Ecuadorian law allow for the extradition of Ecuadorian citizens Yes, and also specifically to America, for what it's worth > this wouldn't be your typical extradition That's because it wouldn't be an extradition. Embassies are not extra-territorial. British police didn't storm the embassy largely out of politeness and convention.
  - ryanlol 8y ago
    >That's because it wouldn't be an extradition. Embassies are not extra-territorial. British police didn't storm the embassy largely out of politeness and convention. My comment specifically acknowledged this, however I see a very real chance that a court might view this as an extradition. It is the .ec government handing him over to a foreign country after all.

threeseed 8y ago

Of course Ecuador can revoke asylum. It's very common practice around the world if a person's circumstances change and their original country is now safe. Likewise if Ecuador believes that there is no longer a threat to Assange they can revoke it.

anoncake 8y ago
> Likewise if Ecuador believes that there is no threat to Assange that can revoke it. Thats a stretch considering they invited the police to arrest him.
- Traster 8y ago
  The police were arresting him for skipping bail - that's not a political asylum issue.
  - anoncake 8y ago
    No, but politically persecuting Assange under pretexts is. Since (I assume) Ecuador protected him not because they oppose persecution for sexual assault, but because they believed that was a pretext for political persecution, I do not see how the circumstances have changed. Except for the Ecuadorian embassy staff reportedly getting fed up with Assange, of course.
    - Traster 8y ago
      One of the ways that things have changed is the continued illegal political campaigning whilst in the embassy that Assange is accused of. Asylum doesn't give protection against breaking the law in the host country.
  - monocasa 8y ago
    The police were arresting him to extradite him to the US. https://www.theguardian.com/media/live/2019/apr/11/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-arrested-at-the-ecuadorean-embassy-live-updates https://www.theguardian.com/media/live/2019/apr/11/wikileaks... > Scotland Yard has confirmed that Assange was arrested on behalf of the US after receiving a request for his extradition.

engineeringwoke 8y ago

International law isn't enforcable, really. It would be great if it were, but why would sovereigns give up absolute control of their legal systems?

cm2187 8y ago
There isn’t really such thing as international law. Only treaties between states that are sovereign, and as such can tear them up if they do not wish to abide to them anymore.
- Mvandenbergh 8y ago
  "International rules and customs" would be a better term. International Law is real but it is not "law" in remotely the same way that domestic laws are and using the same word for them is confusing.
  - SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
    Rules, customs and precedent. Which is pretty much the basis for law anywhere.

daw___ 8y ago

What does Julian say in the video?

dijit 8y ago
"UK has no sovereignty!" "UK must resist" "Resist this attempt by the Trump administration" and something else when he's in the van which I can't make out with people talking over it.
- dao- 8y ago
  > "Resist this attempt by the Trump administration" Funny. Trump has said he loves WikiLeaks, and likely has no interest in Assange getting extradited to the US.
  - fixermark 8y ago
    Problem is, Trump says a lot of things that he doesn't mean. Or he forgets, it's a little unclear. But the American intelligence community appears very interested in the guy and is known to have been working on extradition process in 2018. If the American intelligence community wants to extradite Assange, I don't doubt somebody high-ranking in the CIA will sit down with the president and by the end of the meeting, have him thoroughly convinced that he's wanted Assange's extradition all along. They have agents trained in psychological operations and negotiation, and Trump is demonstrably an easy mark.
    - dao- 8y ago
      > Problem is, Trump says a lot of things that he doesn't mean. Or he forgets, it's a little unclear. Unlikely, as it could play a big role in the whole ongoing public debate about the Trump-Russia connection. > But the American intelligence community appears very interested in the guy and is known to have been working on extradition process in 2018. Yep, but "Trump administration" seems to suggest that Trump is directing this, which seems comical to me.
    - lolc 8y ago

OrgNet 8y ago

Here's a video that shows two guys that were present during his arrest: https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/1115126062961373184 https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/111512606296137318...

Grue3 8y ago

>Snowden advising journalists to cover the story with authentic facts >retweets Russia Today and Cassandra Fairbanks I can't believe people still defend this guy.