Christine Assange meets with Ricardo Patiño

Christine Assange (left), mother of Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks), met Monday with Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino (right) to discuss the status of her child.

The mother of Julian Assange, Christine Assange, met today with Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño, in Quito, under tight security to discuss the situation of her son, who has requested political asylum at the South American country.

“We will respect Ecuador’s decision to take on this case. Ecuador may deny asylum to Julian, but this country is a leader in defending human rights, it does not believe in capital punishment and protects those who have applied for political asylum,” said Christine Assange.

The woman said her son suffers from “extreme psychological stress” and feels “like a bird in a cage, although it has been very well treated at the Embassy of Ecuador in London“.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa reiterated that his government is analyzing the request made by the founder of Wikileaks and that his decision will be “sovereign,” based on the “humanitarian principles” of the Ecuadorian Constitution. MZ