To understand why Ecuador first took in Assange and now has forced him out, it helps to go back further than 2012. June 2012: Assange seeks asylum in Ecuadoran Embassy in LondonDesperate to avoid extradition, Assange shows up at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London and asks for asylum. “I can confirm I arrived at the Ecuadorean embassy and sought diplomatic sanctuary and political asylum,” Assange says in a statement. December 2017: Signs of Ecuador trying to remove Assange from embassyIn what appears to be a possibly face-saving arrangement for Ecuador, the country makes Assange an Ecuadoran citizen, even though relations with him have soured at this point. The organization blames politics for any possible revocation of Assange’s asylum and claims that Ecuador spied on Assange and his lawyers.

Source: Washington Post April 11, 2019 11:25 UTC