What happened with Assange in a year?

Ricardo Patino talked with Julian Assange for several hours

Next Wednesday, June 19, it will be a year of Julian Assange  living in the Embassy of Ecuador in London, UK. The Government emphasizes thatbthe asylum decision was an international achievement of the ‘sovereign’ politics of Ecuador and their struggle for freedom of expression.

At  first the country gained support for hosting the Australian hacker, then the English Supreme Court confirmed that his obligation attached to the law, was to extradite Assange to Sweden, where he is requieren by  justicie  to stand trial for allegations of sex crimes. London has also stated that its legislation does not cover the legal concept of asylum or commitments to agreements with Latin American.

Assange, during this year at the embassy of Ecuador, has given statements in which he said the country was insignificant, prompting bitter reactions inside and outside the nation that protects him. After that he moderated his speech. He ran for the Australian council in the upcoming elections, also became involved in the case of cyber espionage from former official of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden, whom he supported, he met with urban band of Puerto Rico, Calle 13, to produce a song about freedom of expression. In recent days, he said he was studying Spanish, the official language of Ecuador, and practicing boxing to stay in shape.

Regarding the Assange issue, the former ambassador of Ecuador in London, Ana Alban, lobbied the  asylum before English politicians, without the authorization of the chancellery, which was reported by a British newspaper. President Rafael Correa recently appointed as new ambassador in London  the former bank superintendent Juan Falconi Puig.

And after nearly a year, the Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino began a new diplomatic offensive to get the UK to grant Assange a pass to leave the Ecuadorian embassy headquarters. It is the first time that the Chancellor visits him and today Patino initiated the ‘lobby’ needed to find a solution to the case, he will meet his English counterpart, William Hague, to deliver a “comprehensive” legal document with the purpose of presenting humanitarian reasons for extending his asylum.

According to the university professor Daniel Montalvo, these actions are unusual, as ” the ones who should make the ‘lobby’ are Assange’s lawyers.”

Carlos Estarellas, internationalist, also believes that Ecuador is affected politically for granting the asylum, since it did not involved them and the subject is not an issue about freedom of expression since Assange stole public documents which is a crime.

The revenues of the country, to protect freedom of expression, for its support of Assange, began to fall last Friday, when the Assembly adopted a new Communications Act, which according to various sectors, within and outside the country, affects the rights and liberties, while the Foundation for Press Freedom of Colombia announced that will challenge itmbefore the American Commission on Human Rights.