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France says "non" to Assange asylum

by on03 July 2015


An asylum full of Assanges? That is an Ecuadorian Embassy isn't it? 

The French government will not surrender to the mighty ego of Julian Assange nor will it grant him asylum as a political refugee.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange apparently appealed directly to President Francois Hollande, days after Wikileaks published documents showing the United States had spied on successive French leaders, including Hollande.

"My life is in danger," Assange wrote in a letter to the Socialist president which was published by Le Monde newspaper. "France is the only country that can offer me the necessary protection against ... the political persecutions I face."

This is a little unlikely and does make Assange's release of material seem more about getting a bed in France rather than wanting any actual transparency of government. Assange has been living for the past three years in Ecuador's London embassy, where he took refuge to avoid extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes.

He fears Sweden could then extradite him to the United States, where he could be put on trial over WikiLeaks' publication of vast numbers of classified documents.

Less than an hour after his letter was published by Le Monde's website, Hollande's office issued a statement saying the asylum request was rejected.

"The situation of Mr. Assange does not present any immediate danger. He is also the target of a European arrest warrant," it noted.

Assange pointed out his youngest child is French, and so is the child's mother. "I haven't been able to see them in five years, since the political persecution against me started," he said.

Last modified on 03 July 2015
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