India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has slammed Britain 's threat to raid the Ecuador embassy in London in which he is seeking asylum in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden. The UK threatened to forcefully enter the Ecuadorian embassy and arrest Julian Assange. Yesterday, two hours prior to the time of this announcement, the embassy had been surrounded by police, in a menacing show of force. According to The Herald Sun, WikiLeaks condemned the UK government's decision in a statement released on its website. It pointed out that any transgression against the sanctity of the embassy is a unilateral and shameful act, and a violation of the Vienna Convention, which protects embassies worldwide. It said the threat was designed to preempt Ecuadors imminent decision on whether it will grant Assange political asylum, and to bully Ecuador into a decision that is agreeable to the UK and its allies. The website slammed the threat as 'a hostile and extreme act', which is not proportionate to the circumstances, and an unprecedented assault on the rights of asylum seekers worldwide.' According to the report, WikiLeaks joined the Government of Ecuador in urging the UK to resolve this situation according to peaceful norms of conduct. "We further urge the UK government to show restraint, and to consider the dire ramifications of any violation of the elementary norms of international law," the statement on the website said. "We ask that the UK respect Ecuadors sovereign right to deliver a decision of its own making on Julian Assanges asylum bid," it added.

Assange slams Britain's threat to raid Ecuador embassy to arrest him