Police arrested Assange on Thursday after the South American nation revoked the political asylum that had given him sanctuary for almost seven years. He refused to leave the embassy, fearing arrest and extradition to the US for publishing classified military and diplomatic cables through WikiLeaks. Over the years, Assange used Ecuador's embassy as a staging post to keep his name before the public, frequently making appearances on its tiny balcony, posing for pictures and reading statements. Julian Assange in 2012, the year he sought asylum at the Ecuadorean Embassy. Edward Snowden, the former security contractor who leaked classified information about US surveillance programmes, called Assange's arrest a blow to media freedom.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 11, 2019 19:18 UTC