Ecuador authorizes interrogation of Assange in London

QUITO, Ecuador — Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino says Ecuador will allow Swedish prosecutors to interrogate Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the country’s embassy in London where the activist has lived since 2012. Assange is an Australian citizen who has sought refuge in Ecuador’s London-based mission to prevent being extradited to Sweden, where he is sought for questioning over sexual assault allegations made by two women. Patino told local radio Publica that it was accepting Sweden’s request to interrogate Assange “as long as the sovereignty of the Ecuadoran state and the laws in the Constitution are respected.” He suggested that Swedish authorities could provide their Ecuadoran counterparts with the questions and they could be asked in the presence of a Swedish prosecutor. Wikileaks has published millions of classified documents from various governments.