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Summary Ecuadorans demonstrate outside the UK Embassy in Quito, demanding safe passage for Julian Assange.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the UK embassy in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito on Sunday to call on British authorities to grant WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange safe passage to the South American country.Banging pots and pans and chanting slogans, the protesters said they wanted the U.K. to end their siege on the Australian whistleblower.Assange has been living in the embassys cramped quarters for more than two months since fleeing there to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations.Protesters said they were concerned that Sweden would extradite Assange to the Untied States, where they said he could face the death penalty.That he (Assange) be free from persecution, they (the U.S.) are threatening Julian Assange with the death penalty. I know that if he is captured, they (Sweden) will extradite him to the U.S.A., and there we know what is waiting for this courageous journalist, said Assange supporter, Gabriel Chiluisa.The protest comes ten days after Ecuadorean leftist leader Rafael Correa granted Assange asylum in the South American country.With British authorities refusing to recognise Assanges asylum status, diplomatic tensions came to a head after the UK government threatened to storm the South American nations London embassy to arrest the Australian.Lambasting the threat, protesters are demanding an official apology from the British government.They (U.K) has not said sorry. They have not withdrawn that letter. So I think that this is the position of all the world, not just Ecuador. All countries in the world are annoyed by the decision by the British. With this posturing which is out of date, which upsets people. The people want an apology from the British Government, said protester Tania Barahona.
