Julian Paul Assange is an Australian-born computer programmer who founded the whistleblowing organization WikiLeaks in 2006. His international recognition and infamy began in April 2010 when his organization published footage of U.S. soldiers murdering 18 civilians from an armed helicopter in Iraq.1 Following this, international opinion over him has been divided. He is recognized as an honourable advocate for the truth by his supporters and a reckless publicity-seeker who has endangered the lives of many people due to his exploitation of sensitive data by his critics.
In December 2010, he was detained by UK authorities after Sweden issued a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) over allegations of sexual assault.2 Swedish authorities claimed they wished to question him over accusations of rape and sexual assault that he supposedly committed in August of 2010 during his visit to Sweden.3 Assange denies these claims, stating that he was given full consent by the women he allegedly assaulted.
Due to extradition laws between the United Kingdom and Sweden, Assange fought for the rest of the year under house-arrest against his extradition for …show more content…
These articles which are of significant importance dictate that the circumstances under which a person is granted asylum is under the discretion of the state granting it. Furthermore, it states that the urgency of the situation under which asylum is granted and the provisions under which a person is to be considered “persecuted” are also at the discretion of the state granting asylum. Therefore, Ecuador argues that its decisions cannot be questioned or disputed under the provisions that have been mentioned. This has ultimately deemed Assange to be a part of Ecuadorian sovereignty that is immune from prosecution or arrest due to his diplomatic status and location in the Ecuadorian