Julian Assange Isolated as Ecuador Cuts Off WikiLeaks Founder From His Social Networks
Julian Assange has just been silenced on social media, as Ecuador's government decided to cut off the WikiLeaks founder's access to the Internet from their embassy in London. Assange has been living in the London embassy of the South American nation for more than five years now.
Ecuadorian officials announced on Wednesday, March 28 that the government's decision to muffle Assange's voice online was brought about by the asylum seeker himself, as he continued to send out messages via his social network accounts that may affect Ecuador's relations with other countries.
It was a failure on Assange's part to stick with an agreement with the government of Ecuador, according to a statement from the South American country. The ban on Internet and social media access looks to have been a reaction to a re-tweet sent by Assange related to the recent news of Catalan president Carles Puidgemont's detention in Germany.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"The government of Ecuador warns that Assange's behaviour, through his messages on social networks, put at risk the country's good relations with the United Kingdom, the other states of the European Union, and other nations," the message said, as quoted by the Associated Press via the International Business Times.
As for Assange, he is still forced to stay in the embassy where he sought refuge in 2012, using the place as a shelter against possible extradition for Sweden for sex-related charges. Although Sweden has since called off the claims, he could still be arrested on sight in Britain for skipping on his bail.
Perhaps as part of an agreement to let him stay in asylum in Ecuador's London embassy in Knightsbridge, Assange is not allowed to release any statement or send any message that could endanger Ecuador's good standing with other nations.
This recent Internet ban on Assange has further isolated the whistleblower from contact with the outside world, on top of a visitor ban imposed on the WikiLeaks founder.
Prominent figures have started to urge the president of Ecuador to reconsider the bans, with the appeals spearheaded by campaign group the Courage Foundation which sent a letter to current president Linin Moreno, according to SBS News.
The letter was signed by people from various backgrounds including actress Pamela Anderson, former Greek minister Yanis Varoufakis and musician Brian Eno.
"This is not just a matter of showing support and solidarity. We are appealing to all who care about basic human rights to call on the government of Ecuador to continue defending the rights of a courageous free speech activist, journalist and whistleblower," part of the letter from the Courage Foundation read.
For their part, the Foreign Ministry of Ecuador refuted allegations that they are denying Assange his rights by cutting him off from the Internet and by cutting his phone access. Ecuador claims that Assange "undertook freely and voluntarily" to refrain from publicly discussing the internal affairs of other countries.
