UK Threatens to enter Ecuador Embassy to arrest Wikileaks' Julian Assan

[SafetyMoose]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19259623

Ecuador has accused the UK of making a "threat" to enter its embassy in London to arrest Wikileaks' Julian Assange.

Mr Assange took refuge at the embassy in June to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over assault and rape claims, which he denies.

Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino also said a decision on the 41-year-old's bid for political asylum had been made and would be announced later.

The Foreign Office said it could revoke the embassy's diplomatic status.

In a statement issued as Mr Patino spoke, it said the UK had a "legal obligation" to extradite Mr Assange.

The Wikileaks website published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments, particularly the US, in 2010, and Mr Assange says he fears Sweden will pass him on to the American authorities.

A number of police officers are outside the Ecuadorean embassy, in Knightsbridge, where some of Mr Assange's supporters have gathered behind a police cordon.

Demonstrators also protested outside the British embassy in Ecuador's capital. Images from Quito showed protesters holding signs saying "We are sovereign, not colonies" and a union jack being stepped on.

'Hostile act'
At a news conference in Quito on Wednesday, Mr Patino said a letter from the UK government was delivered through a British embassy official.

"Today we received from the United Kingdom an express threat, in writing, that they might storm our Embassy in London if we don't hand over Julian Assange," he said.

"Ecuador rejects in the most emphatic terms the explicit threat of the British official communication."

He said such a threat was "improper of a democratic, civilised and rule abiding country".

"If the measure announced in the British official communication is enacted, it will be interpreted by Ecuador as an unacceptable, unfriendly and hostile act and as an attempt against our sovereignty. It would force us to respond," he said.



"The Foreign Office said it could revoke the embassy's diplomatic status."


oh you brits 

[Jubin]

news article....

oh you brits 

Psst Moose, or they will come and make Canada colony once again.

[[WS]Jacob]

He is seen as a criminal wanted by the USA, so we have the right to go and arrest him.

[Dolfagr]

He is seen as a criminal wanted by the USA, so we have the right to go and arrest him.

Of course, because your country is a puppet of USA, not?

[Gandalf]

He is seen as a criminal wanted by the USA, so we have the right to go and arrest him.

An embassy is formally the territory of the country residing there.
Going and arresting would formally be an attack on another country, there for an act of war.
Ecuador has decided to grant Mr Assange political asylum, meaning he now holds an official Ecuadorian status other than that of visitor.

Storming the embassy would bring the UK down to the level of a dictatorship.

[Ragdoll]

Ecuador has decided to grant Mr Assange political asylum.

Seems provocative to me.

[Jubin]

An embassy is formally the territory of the country residing there.
Going and arresting would formally be an attack on another country, there for an act of war.

Embassies are not the sovereign territory of the country that occupies the premises; they are business offices protected under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. They do not have police or courts on the premises.

Here is the section of the Convention that sometimes confuses people into believing that embassies are somehow the soverign soil of the country they represent:

Article 22,

1.The premises of the mission shall be inviolable. The agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission.

2.The receiving State is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity.

3.The premises of the mission, their furnishings and other property thereon and the means of transport of the mission shall be immune from search, requisition, attachment or execution.


Since they are actually business offices rather than teeny little countries, there is no application of 'laws of the land.' If an American employee violates US law (by, for example, selling visas) he or she can be ordered back to the US for prosecution, but can't be forced to go. If a local employee does so, he is prosecuted locally, under whatever laws exist in the host country - unless we can trick him into going to the US, where he can be prosecuted under US law.
http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdf

[Dolfagr]

Seems provocative to me.

That doesn't mean he can leave UK. Every country has it's laws and ethics, just because UK and USA have a name around, doesn't mean they can violate them.

I honor the Ecuadorian president for this choice because if he was "extradicted" to Sweden, then the same would happen to USA, where he would face martial court and CIA torture.

[Gandalf]

That doesn't mean he can leave UK. Every country has it's laws and ethics, just because UK and USA have a name around, doesn't mean they can violate them.

I honor the Ecuadorian president for this choice because if he was "extradicted" to Sweden, then the same would happen to USA, where he would face martial court and CIA torture.

In theory he can. If the Ecuadorian Embassy would transport him in their car to a diplomatic plane, as you can read from Jubin's post above they would not be allowed to arrest him.

[[WS]Jacob]

Of course, because your country is a puppet of USA, not?

Allies. I think both of us have done a fair share of 'puppeting'.

[Reece]

He is seen as a criminal wanted by the USA, so we have the right to go and arrest him.

He is Indicted by Sweden, not the US.

In theory he can. If the Ecuadorian Embassy would transport him in their car to a diplomatic plane, as you can read from Jubin's post above they would not be allowed to arrest him.

Yes, in theory. The second he exits the car, he can be arrested as he steps back into our jurisdiction. However, if they were to try and ship him out in a crate as Nigeria have tried to do, they could get him out that way as a diplomatic bag can not be opened or searched.

[SafetyMoose]

inb4 political shitstorm

[Teddy]

If he was arrested by the UK the US would not get his hands on him, Sweden gets first dibs. Then again, it isn't just the US that wants his head for his leaks. While the site exposed the US, it also exposed communications with other countries.

He isn't free of his crimes from Sweden, he can only play hide and seek for so long before justice gets to him.

[Taylor_P]

If he was arrested by the UK the US would not get his hands on him, Sweden gets first dibs. Then again, it isn't just the US that wants his head for his leaks. While the site exposed the US, it also exposed communications with other countries.

He isn't free of his crimes from Sweden, he can only play hide and seek for so long before justice gets to him.

I give you a few nations that he can hide and US wouldn't follow him into, due to international treaties and major incidents it would cause if it tried some kind of Spec op to grab him.

China- The US wont bite the hand of the nation it gets all its cheep crap from.

Iran- The US is too busy in the nations on its borders to focus on a 3rd unpopular war, Plus The US would let Israel lose on them long before any real threat.

Russia- Cold war may be over but old wounds dont heal just because Knight rider sang on a broken wall. Doubt Russia would take kindly to any western nations Spec Ops in there nation.

N.Korea- Yeah the 50 year Cease Fire has been good so far no one want the war that hasn't ended to sir-back up.

Mexico- Irony but the US for one already failed in Columbia with massive drug cartels and Mexico is full of em. 2nd some lucky fugitives make it here, the only way they get caught is by the US offering a high price bounty in witch someone in said nation might be living a rich man if he were to "collect the bounty" can you say corrupt police force/bounty hunters. 3rd US signed a trearty back in World War 1 that pretty much stated the US would not interfere with Mexico as long as it did try to interfere with the US, this treaty was made as Germany in world war 1 tried to make Mexico war the US and open a new front and have Mexico reclaim its lands lost in the Mexican-American War(LOL no need for that they took back there lands w/o force) and since the US also has a Free Trade Agreement, and with the US economy being crap losing that would be a huge dent in the market.

 Also just a general rule of politics attacking ones neighbor almost never gets any support, unless you find someone who already dislikes said neighbor and by then you have a new found ally.

[Dolfagr]

Cubaaaa