The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno has terminated the credentials of his UK ambassador, who has been at the center of negotiating the fate of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, as concerns mount over the whistleblower’s safety.
The decree, with which Moreno effectively sacked Ecuador’s London ambassador Abad Ortiz, was published by WikiLeaks on Wednesday. The document does not offer any explanation as to why Ortiz, who had been his country’s ambassador to the UK since 2015, is now being permanently recalled. Nor does it name a successor for the outgoing diplomat. The decree is effective immediately.
WikiLeaks on Twitter: “Decree: pic.twitter.com/Z3DbxsBY4A / Twitter”
Decree: pic.twitter.com/Z3DbxsBY4A
WikiLeaks tweeted that Abad, appointed to the office under President Rafael Correa, was the last diplomat the long-term self-exiled editor knew in the embassy. “All diplomats known to Assange have now been transferred away from the embassy,” the whistleblowing site claimed.
This new and sudden twist in the Assange saga has been met with concern by his supporters, with some suggesting that Moreno is doing Washington’s bidding by removing people who might have stood by Assange and opposed his potential handover to the British police – which is expected to bring about a swift extradition to the US. The dismissal has been called “a silent pro-US coup.”
https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/1065685409718358016
One user argued that sending off diplomats Assange might have bonded with and surrounding him with complete strangers is a form of “psychological torture.”
Free Press! Free Julian Assange 🎗🕊 on Twitter: “This is psychological torture!!!julian needs people whom he can trust. / Twitter”
This is psychological torture!!!julian needs people whom he can trust.
Dr. Roy Schestowitz (罗伊) on Twitter: “Carlos Abad and others replaced with puppets who will “follow orders” from the puppet regime of Lenin Moreno (receiving instructions from Uncle Sam) / Twitter”
Carlos Abad and others replaced with puppets who will “follow orders” from the puppet regime of Lenin Moreno (receiving instructions from Uncle Sam)
Assange’s prolonged stay in Ecuador’s London embassy, where he has enjoyed protection from possible arrest and persecution in the US since 2012, has been hanging in the balance since the election of Moreno in 2017. Moreno, a former ally of Correa, has distanced himself from the anti-American policy of his predecessor and sought to reboot relations with the US. Ecuador is looking for US support in getting $3.9bn in international loans, and there have been reports that Washington’s assistance would be conditional to Ecuador’s handling of the Assange case.
https://twitter.com/haloefekti/status/1065680248581357568
There have also been reports of intense negotiations between senior UK and Ecuadorian officials over the prospects of Assange’s eviction. The Times reported in summer that the talks were held at Foreign Office level. While Moreno has described Assange as “more than a nuisance” and “an inherited problem,” he repeatedly stated that Ecuador would not withdraw its protection unless the whistleblower breaches a set of stringent rules, which restrict his freedom of expression and visitation rights.
The rules, which Assange described as violating his fundamental rights and freedoms, were laid out in August, demanding he stays away from discussing politics and pays for his own medical and other expenses. Late October, an Ecuadorian court rejected Assange’s appeal to revise the “protocol.”
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
As shown in this article, Washington and the Deep State both have a long history of trying to shutter Julian Assange and WikiLeaks:
https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-history-of-prosecuting-and.html
Knowledge is power and if Washington’s insiders can keep the proletariat ignorant, it can control the narrative.
And a little knowledge being a dangerous thing all we need is to aggitate the mass to bloody think.
The last thing the US politicians are interested in is having the voters informed of the truth.
The controllers of the mainstream fake media has just extended their reach to social media and the reach of the “independents” is now so limited that the ONE narrative is as good as a “fait accompli”…It is a pity that some country cannot step in and take over Assange and get him out of the reach of the “deniers” of truth.
Why is Australia not helping. They can be such wimps at times.
and the new ambassador will be somebody who has spent most of his life in the US