Ecuador calls Assange’s stay in embassy untenable and is considering mediation

Ecuador’s government is considering hiring a mediator over Wikileaks leader Julian Assange’s stay at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The Foreign Minister says Assange’s stay is untenable.

The minister of the Ecuadorian government does not say that it wants Assange out of the embassy, ​​but only mentions that it is considering mediation, AFP reports. “We are exploring and considering the option of mediation,” said Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa. This mediation could, for example, come from another country.

If Assange leaves the embassy, ​​British police will immediately arrest him, because he was out on bail in 2012 and has violated its terms. Britain can then extradite him to the United States. That country wants to sue him for leaking confidential government documents.

Assange was granted asylum at Ecuador’s London embassy while on the run from arrest over an alleged rape case in Sweden. The Swedish judiciary withdrew that charge last year.