Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
outside of Ecuador’s
Embassy in London, June 22. If the Ecuador government grants him
asylum, he may be there for
years.
Offering Assange Asylum May Have Negative Consequences for Ecuador
(Hoy, Ecuador)
“For the moment,
the international reaction seems unfavorable to the request by the Australian,
who is being investigated in Sweden for an ordinary crime rather than a
question of a political nature: sexual assault. … The government has a sensitive
issue in it hands. It should not only act out of its well-known ideological
position, because the results could be counterproductive for Ecuador.”
EDITORIAL
Translated By Marisol
Plata Fortiz
June 21, 2012
Ecuador
- Hoy - Original Article (Spanish)
In November 2010, then-Deputy Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Kintto Lucas, announced that our country would be willing
to grant political asylum to the creator of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange. This was at a time in which the Australian was
involved in the controversy created surrounding
the publication of secret cables from embassies of several countries.
Lucas had no support for his generous offer, and the
chancellor later indicated that this was not an official government position,
but rather the personal view of the deputy foreign minister, who in any case is
no longer part of the government.
One year and eight months later, on Tuesday, Assange formally requested political asylum in Ecuador, and
took refuge on our country’s embassy in London.
During this time, the government’s position regarding the
illegal actions of the Australian were in flux. The first one was, as expected,
a rejection of the confidential information that his organization had released
in regard to Ecuador. The most serious occurred with the release of cables from
the U.S. Embassy in Quito referring to the profound corruption of the police
leadership and its commander, Jaime Hurtado Vaca. In these, diplomatic representatives of the United
States suspected that President
Correa was aware of the situation.
Posted
by Worldmeets.US
As a result, the Ecuadorian government expelled the U.S. ambassador
[Heather Hodges], and
that country took reciprocal action with Ecuador's ambassador. Diplomatic
relations were just reinstated with the appointments of new ambassadors.
Recently, no more than a few months ago, the government
decided to use cables from WikiLeaks for its own benefit and with a very clear purpose:
to further discredit the independent press and the journalists who work in it.
In this way, he built closer ties with Julian Assange,
who later had President Correa as one
of the guests in his Internet program.
Assange’s request for asylum is
now being analyzed. Considering the consequences that either option could cause
this country, a decision must be discussed with responsibility and maturity. For
the moment, the international reaction seems unfavorable to the request by the
Australian, who is being investigated in Sweden for an ordinary crime rather
than a question of a political nature: sexual assault.
The government has a sensitive issue in it hands. It should
not only act out of its well-known ideological position, because the results
could be counterproductive for Ecuador.
analisis@hoy.com.ec
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
El Universo, Ecuador:
Assange Grateful to Ecuador for Taking Up His Asylum Request
Gusrdian, U.K.:
Embassy Cables Did Not
Harm U.S.: Assange
Will Not Be Extradited
Telegraph, U.K.:
Why do We
Buy Julian Assange's
One-Man Psychodrama?
BBC, U.K.:
Ecuador Ruling on WikiLeaks' Assange Due 'on Thursday'
SMH, Australia:
Assange Threataned with Arrest
SMH, Australia:
Australia Letter 'Spurs' Assange Flee
Guardian, U.K.:
Assange Asylum Move is 'a Tragedy' for His Accusers: Lawyer
Guardian, U.K.:
Julian Assange Requests Asylum at Ecuador Embassy - Live Coverage
Le Monde, France:
Le Monde Names Julian Assange Man of the Year
Vremya, Russia:
Good Riddance to the 'Zeroes': When the Nineties Turned Ugly
Die Zeit, Germany:
If Only WikiLeaks Existed Before the Iraq War Began
Folha, Brazil:
Testimony of Sex Charges Against Assange Don't Belong in Public
Guardian, U.K.:
Ten Days in Sweden - The Full Allegations Against Assange
Libération, France:
WikiLeaks: A War, But What Kind of War?
Le Monde, France:
Le Monde Names Julian Assange Man of the Year
El Mundo, Spain:
Julian Assange: The 21st Century 'Mick Jagger' of Data
Novaya Gazeta, Russia:
An 'Assange' on Both Your Houses!
El País, Spain:
Cables: Brazil Warned Chavez 'Not to Play' with U.S. 'Fire'
El Heraldo, Honduras:
The Panic of 'America's Buffoon' Hugo Chavez
Jornal de Notícias, Portugal:
If West Persecutes Assange, it Will What it Deserves
Correio da Manhã, Portugal:
WikiLeaks: A 'Catastrophe' for Cyber-Dependent States
Romania Libera:
WikiLeaks Undermines Radical Left; Confirms American Competence
Le Figaro, France:
And the Winner of the Bout Over WikiLeaks is … America
News, Switzerland:
Assange the Latest Fall Guy for
Crimes of World's Power Elite
Libération, France:
Who Rules? Hackers, the Press and Our Leaders - in that Order
Tal Cual, Venezuela:
If Only WikiLeaks Would
Expose President Chavez
Berliner Zeitung, Germany:
Assault on Assange Betrays U.S. Founding Principles
El Universal, Mexico:
WikiLeaks Revelations a Devastating Shock to Mexico
L'Orient Le Jour, Lebanon:
WikiLeaks Makes 'Mockery' of 'U.S. Colossus'
Jornal de Negócios, Portugal:
More than We
Wanted to Know. Or Maybe Not!
DNA, France:
The WikiLeaks Disclosures: A Journalist's Ambivalence
Global Times, China:
WikiLeaks Poses Greater Risk to West's 'Enemies'
FAZ, Germany:
Ahmadinejad's Chief-of-Staff Calls WikiLeaks Cables 'Lies'
Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
Saudis Ask: Who Benefitted from WikiLeaks Disclosure?
Guardian, U.K.:
Cables Portray Saudi Arabia as a Cash Machine for Terrorists
El País, Spain:
Cables Expose
Nuance of U.S. Displeasure
with Spain Government
El País, Spain:
Thanks to WikiLeaks' Disclosure, Classical Diplomacy is Dead
Guardian, U.K.:
Saudi Arabia
Urges U.S. Attack on Iran
Hurriyet, Turkey:
Erdogan Needs 'Anger Management' Over U.S. Cables
Saudi Gazette, Saudi Arabia:
WikiLeaks Reveals 'Feeling, Flawed' Human Beings
Frontier Post, Pakistan:
WikiLeaks Reveals 'America's Dark Face' to the World
The Nation:
WikiLeaks' Release: An Invaluable Exposure of American Hypocrisy
Buenos Aires Herald, Argentina:
Without Hypocrisy,
Global Ties
Would Be Chaos
Kayhan, Iran:
WikiLeaks Release a 'U.S. Plot to Sow Discord'
El Universal, Mexico:
WikiLeaks and Mexico's Battle Against Drug Trafficking
Toronto Star, Canada:
WikiLeaks Dump Reveals
Seamy Side of Diplomacy
Guardian, U.K.:
WikiLeaks Cables, Day 3: Summary of Today's Key Points
Guardian, U.K.:
Leaked Cables Reveal China is
'Ready to Abandon' North Korea
Hurriyet, Turkey:
American Cables Prove Turkish
Claims on Missile Defense False
The Nation, Pakistan:
WikiLeaks: An Invaluable Exposure of American Hypocrisy
Kayhan, Iran:
WikiLeaks Revelations a 'U.S. Intelligence Operation': Ahmadinejad
Novosti, Russia:
'Russia Will be Guided by
Actions, Not Leaked Secrets'
Guardian, U.K.:
Job of Media Is Not
to Protect Powerful
from Embarrassment
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