WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been granted asylum in Ecuador after months of fighting against his extradition from the UK.
Assange originally fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London two months ago to escape being extradited to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning on assault and rape claims.
It has been suggested that Sweden might have had plans to then send him to the United States, where he could be charged for leaking highly confidential information on WikiLeaks.
Sweden has denied that claim. For now, a diplomatic conflict has arisen between Ecuador and the UK, who has threatened to lift the Ecuadorian embassy’s diplomatic status so that they may arrest Assange.
“The UK has a legal obligation to extradite Assange to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of sexual offenses,” said a UK Foreign Office spokesperson. “And we remain determined to fulfill this obligation.”
In response, Ecuadorian foreign minister Ricardo Patino has accused the UK of delivering an “open threat” and claimed that the UK cannot “gleefully say they have been honest when they have threatened [Ecuador] in such a way.”
In the meantime, Assange has declared that the asylum grant is a “significant victory” while Patino insists that Assange has “legitimate” concerns over his possible treatment in Sweden and the US, should he be sent there.
However, Assange did admit that “things will get more stressful now,” foreshadowing the diplomatic backlash that is currently in its early stages.Â