Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno on Sunday defended his decision to overturn Julian Assange’s asylum status, claiming in an interview with the Guardian newspaper that the WikiLeaks founder had tried to set up a “centre for spying” in Ecuador’s London embassy.
“It is unfortunate that, from our territory and with the permission of authorities of the previous government, facilities have been provided within the Ecuadoran embassy in London to interfere in processes of other states,” Moreno said.
“We cannot allow our house, the house that opened its doors, to become a centre for spying,” added Moreno, who was elected in 2017 “Our decision is not arbitrary but is based on international law”
The WikiLeaks founder is in custody in London awaiting sentencing for breaching his British bail conditions in 2012 by seeking refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden.