On Tuesday June 19th, 2012, Julian Assange walked into the Ecuador’s embassy in London to claim asylum.
The WikiLeaks founder walked into the Ecuadorian embassy and claimed asylum under the UN’s human rights declaration. This followed an unsuccessful attempt to appeal against his deportation to Sweden to face allegations of rape.
The following morning on June 20th the Metropolitan police declared that Assange, who is still under bail conditions following his unsuccessful appeal to extradition, had breached those conditions.
They police stared that they will arrest him and are aware of his current location at the embassy in Knightsbridge, west London.
The six year standoff between Julian Assange, UK police, and the US Deep State had begun.
Check out the video below which chronicles Assange’s six year ordeal at the hands of UK authorities and the Deep State, along with a segment from Assange’s first public appearance on August 19th, 2012 on the balcony of the Ecuador Embassy, where he would reside for the next six years.
Remember to Please Subscribe to The Duran’s YouTube Channel.
Here is timeline of events from 2012 until present day (Courtesy of Sky News)…
2012
16 August: Ecuador grants the asylum request.
It means Julian Assange can be assured police are not able to enter and arrest him – as long as he doesn’t leave the building – because of special diplomatic immunity rules.
Metropolitan Police guard the building in case he tries to flee to the safe haven of the South American country.
19 August: Assange appears on the embassy balcony as he urges an end to the US government “witch-hunt” of Wikileaks.
November: Five months in, Ecuador’s ambassador to the UK says their guest has a chronic lung condition after being cooped up inside the building.
December: Back in front of the media on the balcony, Assange marks six months to say the “door is open” for talks with the Swedish authorities to end the deadlock.
2013
June: A year has passed and the apparent stalemate shows no signs of being resolved.
Assange tells reporters that he fears moves to extradite him to the US are already under way and that he won’t leave the embassy, even if the arrest warrant over the sex offence claims is withdrawn.
2014
July: A defeat for Assange as the Australian loses his legal bid for Swedish authorities to cancel the arrest warrant.
August: There is speculation Assange needs hospital treatment for heart and lung problems.
He tells a news conference he will soon be leaving the embassy but dismisses claims that he is about to give up his fight over extradition to Sweden.
September: His legal team complains to the United Nations about the actions of the UK and Sweden. They say his confinement without charge amounts to illegal detention.
November: Assange loses an appeal in Sweden over the decision to uphold the arrest warrant.
December: American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky and Hollywood actor John Cusack visit Assange.
Other famous visitors to make a house call during his time in the embassy include ex-Baywatch star Pamela Anderson – who has dropped by on a number of occasions with a spot of lunch, Lady Gaga, Eric Cantona and civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson.
Nigel Farage has also been spotted leaving the embassy but refused to say whether he had met Assange.
Benedict Cumberbatch, however, was shunned by the WikiLeaks boss. The actor played him in the movie The Fifth Estate and wanted to meet him to study his mannerisms.
Assange dismissed the book on which the film was based as “toxic”.
2015
March: After years of getting nowhere, Swedish prosecutors ask to question Assange inside the embassy.
June: Assange claims the appointment to interview him has been cancelled.
13 August: The inquiry into the sexual molestation and unlawful coercion allegations is dropped after a legal time limit passes – but the more serious rape allegation stands and the investigation remains active.
16 August: The Foreign Office accuses Ecuador of preventing the proper course of justice by giving Assange a safe haven.
12 October: Police call off their 24-hour watch outside the embassy after three years and an estimated cost of £12m. CCTV is later installed instead.
2016
5 February: The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention agrees supports his legal team’s appeal and says Assange is being “arbitrarily detained” at the embassy.
It urges an end to his “deprivation of liberty”.
Philip Hammond, then the foreign secretary, calls it “frankly ridiculous” – a response Assange calls “insulting”.
9 February: Prosecutors say they are working on a new request to get inside the embassy and interview Assange about the rape accusation.
22 February: Lawyers go back to court to try to get the arrest warrant dropped but a month later the request is turned down.
24 March: The Government formally asks the UN to review its “deeply flawed” conclusion that Assange is being “arbitrarily detained”.
May: A cat – a gift from Assange’s children – takes up residence at the diplomatic outpost. The dapper feline puts in periodic appearances in the embassy window sporting a red and white striped tie.
20 June: Ecuador confirms Sweden has put in a formal request to enter the embassy and interview Assange.
9 August: Sweden’s court of appeal receives an appeal that argues it must comply with the UN assertion that Assange’s is being illegally deprived of his liberty.
11 August: Assange will be questioned inside the embassy, Ecuador confirms.
16 September: Sweden rejects the bid to get an arrest warrant dropped, saying nothing has changed.
14 November: Finally, Swedish authorities get their chance to put questions to the WikiLeaks founder during a two-day interview at the embassy.
Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren and police inspector Cecilia Redell were present – but it was an Ecuadorian prosecutor asking the questions.
2017
17 January: Outgoing US president Barack Obama decides to free WikiLeaks’ key whistleblower Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning.
Speculation mounts that Assange will finally draw a line under his time hunkered down in the Ecuadorian embassy after WikiLeaks tweets before the decision: “If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (Department of Justice) case.”
19 January: Assange pledges to stand by the offer to go to the US if his rights are respected.
21 April: Jeff Sessions, the new US attorney general, says Assange’s arrest is a “priority”.
19 May: After years of legal fighting, Sweden’s prosecutor says the rape case has been dropped: “At this point, all possibilities to conduct the investigation are exhausted,” says Marianne Nye.
“He has tried to dodge all attempts to avoid Swedish and British legal authorities,” she adds.
Assange tweets that his “name was slandered” and that he will not “forgive or forget”.
His accuser, meanwhile, says she is “shocked” and calls it a “scandal”.
The post 6 years ago today, Assange was sent into exile at Ecuador Embassy (Video) appeared first on The Duran.