This week on Jun 19th it will be one year since Julian Assange entered the Ecuadorian Embassy to request asylum.
Mónica del Pilar Uribe Marín
It has not been a easy year: tense and full of speculations. Sought by the US and Swedish authorities, and with the UK Government willing to hand him over to anyone who asks, the founder and editor in chief of Wikileaks spends his days in confinement which does not stop him continuing with his campaign for the freedom to inform and be informed.
The British authorities will decide whether to grant safe passage for Assange to leave Britain and travel to asylum in Ecuador. This was one of the proposals that the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister, Ricardo Patiño brought to England. Next will be his meeting on Monday Jun 17th with the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague.
Assange advised Edward Snowden to apply for asylum in Latin America, saying the continent has a record of offering asylum stretching back more than a decade. Snowden recently revealed the extent to which the US National Security Agency spies on data from internet service providers.
Assange, like Snowden is campaigning for freedom of expression and lives with the fear of being extradited to Sweden and from there to the US, where he stands accused –and expects to be tried – for the release of data by Wikileaks.
Fidel Narvaez, the Ecuadorian Consul, who has developed a friendship with Assange talks again to The Prisma about the affair. Complementing this new material, The Prisma re-produces below the interview with Narvaez recorded in February.
How is Julian Assange’s health?
He is well despite the physical and logistical limitations of asylum.
But we are concerned in case he might require medical attention outside the Embassy. So far he has never been ill, this story was a misunderstanding or an invention by the media.
How is his emotional state?
Well. He has great spiritual strength and knows that his stay can be a long one, so it is important for him to keep himself strong emotionally. I believe he feels protected and that helps him to stay calm.
Have you spoken again to Assange, face to face, after the 12 months that he has been there?
I see him often and normally we chat about politics and the campaigns that he is running.
What is Equador’s position on the Assange case after one year?
Ecuador has not changed its position. It seeks a diplomatic solution which guarantees both Julian Assange’s rights and the normal course of justice in the countries involved. Ecuador has granted political asylum to Julian Assange so it is committed to protecting him from any political persecution.
What pressures have been put on the Ecuadorian Government from those countries seeking his arrest?
I would not say that there are pressures. What is certain is that there is little room for reaching a political solution to a problem which is itself political.
Do you think that Julian Assange will continue with his struggle?
I am sure of it.
Has he changed?
No, not at all.
It seems that recently there has been less media attention to his case. Is that an intentional silence?
I understand that Julian Assange and Wikileaks are in regular contact with the media. I can’t answer for them.
How is his relationship with the new Ambassador?
The new Ambassador has not arrived yet.
Do you know what the present legal situation is, regarding the charges against Assange?
It isn’t for me to discuss that.
During this year that Assange has spent in the Embassy, what have been the tensest moments, and the most important turning points for him, for the Embassy and the Government?
His arrival at the Embassy itself; then our granting asylum, and the UK threat to enter the Embassy by force to arrest him. Each of these moments has provoked great international solidarity with Ecuador.
(Photos: Pixabay)
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