Assange turns down deal to leave embassy in London

JULIAN ASSANGE’S lawyer has rejected an agreement announced by Ecuador’s president that could have seen the Wikileaks founder leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London after six years inside.

Lenin Moreno, the president of Ecuador, has made no secret of his wish to be rid of Mr Assange, who sought asylum inside the embassy in June 2012 and has not left.

Mr Moreno announced yesterday that a deal had been reached between London and Quito to allow Mr Assange, 47, to be released. “The way has been cleared for Mr Assange to take the decision to leave in near-liberty,” said Mr Moreno. He did not specify what “nearliberty” meant.

Mr Moreno announced this year that he was severing Mr Assange’s telephone and internet links and in October said he was banning him from making “political statements” that jeopardised Ecuador’s relations with other countries. Mr Assange then sued for a breach of his human rights.

From December, he was also due to pay for his own costs of food, medical care and laundry, in yet another sign of the growing impatience of the Ecuadorean government. Mr Moreno added that Britain had guaranteed that the Australian would not be extradited to any country where his life is in danger.

But Mr Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, told The Telegraph that the deal was not acceptable. The legal team have long argued that they will not accept any agreement which risks his being extradited to the United States.

Last year Jeff Sessions, the former US attorney general, said arresting Mr Assange was a priority.