Ecuador Acknowledges It Restricted WikiLeaks Founder's Internet Connection | Hacker News Reader

Ecuador Acknowledges It Restricted WikiLeaks Founder's Internet Connection

npr.org

24 pointsmolecule12 comments

This is very interesting given many people thought it was merely Assange trying to hype up non-existent dirt on Hillary Clinton.

In general I'm very in favor of free speech but I think this changes when he's releasing information just before an election to change its outcome. If he was trying to do it for public good, he'd have released it when he found it. Sad that Assange has become so biased towards hurting Clinton that he'll go to such trouble. I'd also hope he'd release anything he has about Trump if he had it.

He should have done it at least before the Democratic primaries. What does it help he does it now? She can't really lose the election anymore. And on the off chance that she might there is someone even worse waiting to take the chair.

I think the big question is if he will get internet back after the election.

A life without freedom of movement and internet isn't much of a life these days, especially if your life is running wikileaks...

He's free to answer charges in Sweden. Nobody's keeping him locked up.

First, he hasn't been charged. Second, he faces the threat of extradition and execution if he answers the call to be questioned on Swedish soil. Third, the UK has spent millions each year to make sure he doesn't get away.

>he faces the threat of extradition and execution if he answers the call to be questioned on Swedish soil.

A threat that he, and only he, has elucidated. There's no extradition request in place, and Sweden isn't actually a banana republic whereby the government can order the courts to approve an extradition request.

>Third, the UK has spent millions each year to make sure he doesn't get away.

Well, yes. He's a wanted man. You generally don't want to let those slip.

Come on, I'm not a fan of Assange either, but it's perfectly realistic to believe he'll be syphoned off to the US if he steps out of that embassy

That's an incredibly naive comment. He most likely faces extradition to the US for espionage. There's been no formal charges but senior US officials have hinted as much. Given how the US has treated journalists lately I think he has ample reasons to expect an unfair closed door trial in the US.

Here'sa bit about it, http://www.alternet.org/rss/breaking_news/1003054/does_the_u...

Good on them. He was clearly operating with an agenda in this case given the timing, and I think it was an unwise one.

Dupe of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12739349

Ecuador "respects the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states."

But they are willing to intervene to give Assange refuge?

You can't tell the difference between a sort of asylum for one person and the tampering of an election for an entire country?

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