Ecuador cuts off Assange’s comms
QUITO/LONDON: Ecuador’s government said on Wednesday it has cut off Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s internet connection at the nation’s London embassy after his recent activity on social media decrying the arrest of a Catalonian separatist leader.
In a statement, officials said Assange’s recent posts “put at risk” the good relations Ecuador maintains with nations throughout Europe and had decided as of Tuesday to suspend his internet access “in order to prevent any potential harm.”
Assange has since gone silent on social media.
Ecuador granted Assange asylum in the South American nation’s London embassy in 2012, where he has remained cooped up ever since. Ecuador has repeatedly tried to find a solution that would allow Assange to leave without the threat of arrest, but with no success.
Assange was initially staying in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of sex crimes, which he has consistently denied.
Swedish authorities have since dropped their investigation, but Assange believes he will be extradited to the US for questioning over the leaking of classified state department documents if he leaves the building.
He also remains subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail.
Relations between Assange and his host nation have often grown prickly. Ecuador suspended his internet access in 2016 after a Wikileaks dump targeting Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Former President Rafael Correa hailed Assange’s work but the nation’s current head of state has called him a hacker and warned him not to meddle in politics.
This isn’t the first time the embassy has cut off his internet— in October 2016, his access was blocked for the role of Wikileaks in disseminating emails which were stolen from Hillary Clinton’s campaign.