Julian Assange granted asylum by Ecuador - live coverage
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the latest news and reaction as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's
application for political asylum is accepted by Ecuador's foreign
minister
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A masked supporter of Julian Assange outside Ecuador's embassy in Knightsbridge, London. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
Evening summary
- Ecuador has granted Julian Assange's request for political asylum. In a high-octane speech in Quito, the country's foreign minister said the South American nation believed the WikiLeaks founder's fears of persecution were legitimate.
- Foreign secretary William Hague has made it clear there will be no safe passage. Although Ecuador has granted Assange's request it is unclear quite how Assange will get there, with the prospect of his arrest if he leaves the embassy.
- Assange will give a live statement on Sunday 19 August at 2pm, according to Wikileaks' Twitter feed. Again it is unclear how he will do this given the huge police presence on the doorsteps of the Ecuadorean embassy.
- Assange could appeal to the International Court of Justice if the UK blocks his exit, according to another Wikileaks tweet. Professor Eileen Denza, a legal expert on diplomatic issues, says the court has been used in the past to settle disputes. The situation is currently a standoff, with the embassy unable to hold him indefinitely and the UK not obliged to give Assange safe passage.
- Supporters and critics are still split between those who believe that Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault charges and those who believe it would open him up to extradition to the US. Assange has said he would be prepared to return to Sweden to answer questions if he received diplomatic assurances that he would not be pursued by the US for leaking documents. So far this hasn't happened.
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