Julian Assange will be expelled from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, England within "hours to days," high-ranking Ecuadorean state officials told WikiLeaks.
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Acording to reports, an agreement between the United Kingdom and the South American nation has been reached regarding Assange's imminent arrest. The Ina Papers offshore scandal will be used as a pretext, WikiLeaks says.
Earlier this week, Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno argued that WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, has “repeatedly violated” the terms of his asylum in the embassy and that he will "make a decision in the short term."
Ecuador’s head of state, interviewed by the local Radio Broadcasters’ Association, said Assange does not have the right to "hack private accounts or phones" and cannot intervene in the politics of other countries, especially those that have friendly relations with Ecuador.
The Wikileaks founder accepted political asylum in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sex crimes, which have been dropped. However, in the last two years, ever since Moreno took office, a new set of draconian measures have reduced his fundamental rights, in regards to freedom of speech, visits and movement inside the diplomatic mission.
Assange, who was granted Ecuadoran citizenship in December 2017, legally cannot be extradited as Article 25 of Ecuador’s 2008 constitution forbids extradition of nationals. Yet he has denounced attempts, influenced by U.S. pressure, to strip him of this right.
A United Nations Special Rapporteur on Privacy is due to visit Assange on Wednesday to investigate Ecuador's spying on the activist. Ecuador filed a complaint with the rapporteur Monday denouncing WikiLeaks and others for reporting on the INA Papers offshore scandal engulfing its president.