Tag: Ecuador

Assange still faces extradition

Posted on November 20, 2014 by - News

Flag of EcuadorA Swedish court today confirmed that an arrest warrant against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange still stands, and the country wants him extradited.

Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuador embassy in London, faces charges of sexual assault, charges that he strenuously denies.

He jumped bail and sought sanctuary in the embassy two years ago.  He claims the reason why he’s avoiding extradition is because he fears he will be extradited to the USA to face serious secrecy charges.

The Stockholm court of appeal said that Assange is suspected of crimes of a serious nature.  It refused to withdraw the warrant because, it said, it fears he will avoid legal proceedings or punishment.

In 2012 he lost an appeal with the UK Supreme Court to avoid extradition and that’s when he took to the embassy, where Sweden, the UK and the USA have no jurisdiction.

The charges relate to accusations of sexual misconduct and rape from two women when he visited Sweden in 2010.

British police are waiting to arrest him and extradite him the moment he leaves the embassy.

Assange becomes a fashion model

Posted on July 1, 2014 by - News

Julian AssangeAussie fugitive Julian Assange is so desperate for media attention that he is prepared to take a shot at fashion modelling.

Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy trying to avoid extradition to Sweden on sex charges is expected to make his London Fashion Week debut this September.

Apparently the WikiLeaks founder will model for Vivienne Westwood’s son, Ben Westwood, at a fashion show staged at the Ecuadorean Embassy.

Westwood hopes that the event will draw the nation’s media and not allow Assange to be forgotten.
“I want to highlight Julian Assange’s plight. What happened to him is totally unfair,” he told the Independent.

Assange – who will be joined by six models during his catwalk outing – has also inspired some of the clothes.

Westwood said his collection was influenced by costumes worn by Clint Eastwood’s western films and also Assange’s combat-beret look.

The show’s soundtrack will come by way of music from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, no prices for who Assange is coming as. Westward has also designed a garment with a Julian Assange print.
It is starting to look like Assange is managing to force the limelight back on himself.

Recently he met with Lady Gaga and opening rapper MIA’s New York concert with a 10-minute Skype chat, in which he addressed the audience. Last week, he hosted a Reddit ask-me-anything session, in which he offered life advice. We didn’t see it, but we should have expected that “ask someone first if they want to have sex with you and always use a condom” should have been given at some point.