Why was Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in the first place? This was partly why Ecuador and so many of his supporters backed his claims to political asylum. In pursuit of the sexual assault charges, Sweden issued a European Arrest Warrant against Assange, which meant the UK authorities were required to act. However, while the case was being considered, Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy and was granted political asylum on June 16, 2012. The Ecuadorian government issued a statement accusing Assange of “discourteous and aggressive behaviour” and of violating international asylum conventions.

Source: News 24 April 11, 2019 18:45 UTC