Well the threats to Ecuador certainly worked, they've granted Julian Assange asylum.

If only all rape suspects were pursued with the same vigour.

Also interesting to see the comparisons between this deportation and that of General Pinochet.

edit:
They are aren’t they? especially when the victims argue they haven’t been raped.

The fact the US is a bit annoyed at him is completely co-incidental.

Hopefully it means he'll have to go and live in Ecuador, and will keep him out of the news

Why don't they just assassinate him? It would be cheaper.

Unless he's going to live in the embassy forever can he actually get out of the country?

Well apparently not. Ecuadorian foreign minister said he asked Sweden for assurances about onward removal to the US and none were forthcoming. So it's difficult to see what other decision Ecuador could make.

Digging a tunnel under the embassy.

Do you mean he's wandering around the Ecuadorian embassy dispersing little bits of rubble from his trousers?
Will someone at the airport catch him out by saying "good luck" to him in Spanish?

Also difficult for Sweden to make any such assurances given that a valid extradition request would be decided by their judiciary and not their government.

Fair point

Depends how far we're prepared to push it TBH. If they put him in a diplomatic car and drive him to an airport there's nothing to prevent the police from stopping the car an arresting him. Would cause a major diplomatic incident though.

Regardless of the validity or otherwise of the charges he faces in Sweden, the whole thing has now descended into a political game. Ecuador most likely made that request knowing full well that Sweden couldn't produce any assurances, and that as a result they'd have a perfect excuse to do what they wanted to do anyway. Asylum has been granted purely to stick two fingers up at the USA and, to a lesser extent, the UK.

Quite why anyone believes that Assange stands a better chance of being deported to the USA from Sweden than the UK is beyond me.

Yes, that's the odd one given that the UK is prepared to surrender anyone to the US under the treaty between us and them which Sweden - hardly a notorious enemy of free speech - is not a signatory to.

I wondered about that. I would have thought Swedish courts less likely to surrender someone up than ours given the treaty we have.

Despite this Assange want's asylum as he doesn't feel that is any safeguard. I don't think any European country would grant it as they would say he has no fear of being persecuted in his home country of Australia so Ecuador it is.

Wonder if they will try and smuggle him out in a diplomatic bag (a large create in reality) as was tried once before?

Almost makes you pine for the days of midnight flits to remote airfields. Harder to achieve in the age of modern communications. There's the Mourinho option of the laundry basket, I suppose.

As Newsthump says, "Man locks himself in building to avoid getting locked in another building"

Just dress him as a schoolgirl, stuff him an a holdall and hide him in the loft. Then invite the Met to search the place.

Couldn't we arrest him in between him leaving the embassy and getting in the car?

There's a rumour which I'd love to be true doing the rounds.

Apparently there were a lot of the Anonymous crowd there earlier, complete with 'V for Vendetta' masks. The story is that he borrowed a mask and a hoody and is now on a plane.


It's got to be completely fictitious, but it's a lovely image.

I have no idea how true any of this is, but it makes interesting reading if it's correct:

Another bunch of despicable muppets I'd happily see face the chair along with Assange.

Just say what you feel Cronus, don't hold back in any way

[url=http://pme200.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/assange.htmlMyths dispelled[/url