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Assange peeps out of the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Dominic Lipinski/PA
Ecuador ajar
Ecuador has cut internet access for WikiLeaks founder over US election
Julian Assange has sought asylum at London’s Ecuadorean embassy since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex assault allegations.
ECUADOR HAS CONFIRMED that it has cut internet access to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over his intervention in the US election.
It said Assange had in recent weeks released material that could have an impact on the US presidential election.
Ecuador said its move was not the result of pressure from the US. Wikileaks has accused the South American government of carrying out the decision after a request from US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Washington has denied WikiLeaks accusations that it had asked Ecuador to stop the site publishing documents about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
A cyber-espionage specialist, Julian Assange has sought asylum at London’s Ecuadorean embassy since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex assault allegations.
In July, Wikileaks released 20,000 private emails from the Democratic National Committee, forcing the resignation of DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Clinton supporter. More leaks have followed in the past fortnight.
Assange has been accused of turning Wikileaks into a prop for Trump, and becoming the best friend of the Republican nominee, due to increasingly high-profile attempts by Wikileaks to influence the US presidential election.
Assange has said that Trump’s openness is part of his “charismatic appeal”, and has defended his reluctance to leak hacked material from Donald Trump, which has prompted criticism from supporters like Peter Tatchell.
Room next door
Wikileaks initially accused unknown state actors for disrupting Assange’s web lifeline in the Ecuadorean embassy. But it appears those responsible for restricting his internet access were probably in the room next door.
Ecuador insists the move is not a blanket internet ban on Assange.
“In recent weeks, WikiLeaks has published a large number of documents which have an impact on the election campaign in the United States,” the Ecuadorean embassy said in a statement, in Spanish.
“The decision to make public such information is the sole responsibility of the Wikileaks organisation.
The Government of Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the affairs of other countries, it does not interfere in electoral processes in progress or support a candidate in particular.
In that sense, Ecuador, in exercise of its sovereign right, has temporarily restricted access to part of its communications system in its embassy in the UK. This temporary restriction does not prevent the WikiLeaks organisation to carry out its journalistic activities.
Ecuador added that it intends to safeguard Assange’s life and physical integrity. It added:
“Ecuador’s foreign policy responds only to sovereign decisions and not yield to pressure from other states.”
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