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| Mr Assange is facing extradition to Sweden from Britain for questioning over alleged sex crimes |
Wikileaks
founder Julian Assange is seeking political asylum at Ecuador's London embassy,
the country's foreign minister has said.
"Ecuador
is studying and analysing the request," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino
told reporters in Quito.
On 14 June,
Britain's Supreme Court dismissed Mr Assange's bid to reopen his appeal against
extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes.
He has
denied the allegations, saying they are politically motivated.
The Supreme
Court has given him until 28 June before extradition proceedings can start.
Swedish
prosecutors want to question him over allegations of rape and sexual assault
made by two female former Wikileaks volunteers in mid-2010 but have not filed
any charges.
Mr Assange,
whose Wikileaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that
embarrassed several governments and international businesses, claims the sex
was consensual.
'Minimum
guarantees'
In a statement, Ecuador's embassy said he had arrived there on Tuesday afternoon to
seek asylum.
"As a
signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights, with an
obligation to review all applications for asylum, we have immediately passed
his application on to the relevant department in Quito," it said.
"While
the department assesses Mr Assange's application, Mr Assange will remain at the
embassy, under the protection of the Ecuadorean government."
It said the
decision to consider the bid for asylum "should in no way be interpreted
as the government of Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either
the United Kingdom or Sweden."
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| Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Mr Assange had claimed he was being persecuted |
Mr Assange
issued a statement, saying he was "grateful to the Ecuadorean ambassador
and the government of Ecuador for considering my application".
Associated
Press quoted Mr Patino as telling reporters Mr Assange had written to
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa saying he was being persecuted.
Mr Patino
said that the Australian had claimed "the authorities in his country will
not defend his minimum guarantees in front of any government".
Mr Assange
said he would not be protected from being extradited to "a foreign country
that applies the death penalty for the crime of espionage and sedition,"
Mr Patino said.
The
anti-secrecy campaigner fears extradition to Sweden may lead to him being sent
to the US to face separate charges relating to Wikileaks, for which he could
face the death penalty.
Swedish
assurance
But Swedish
authorities have said the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) would intervene
if Mr Assange was to face the prospect of "inhuman or degrading treatment
or an unfair trial" in the US.
Mr Assange
could still take his case against extradition to the ECHR and has until 28 June
to make the move.
Vaughan
Smith, a friend who put Mr Assange up at his Norfolk home until December 2011,
told the BBC he understood why he was seeking asylum.
"There's
been an organised campaign to undermine him in recent months in Britain,"
Mr Smith said. "And he believed he would not get justice in Sweden."
Wikileaks
has posted an alert on its Twitter feed: "ALERT: Julian Assange has
requested political asylum and is under the protection of the Ecuadorian
embassy in London."
It said
Ecuador had offered asylum as early as November 2010.
Ecuador's
deputy foreign minister said in 2010 his country was offering Mr Assange
residency because it wanted to give him the opportunity to freely present the
information he had.
However,
President Rafael Correa subsequently dismissed the idea, which he said neither
he nor Mr Patino had approved.
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