WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s name returned to the news scene lately after rumors that he might be expelled from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and face the risk of being arrested or even exposing his life to serious threats circulated the media.
It all started after media cited a British friend of Assange saying the latter is preparing for “expulsion” from the building following the Ecuadorean president’s remarks that Assange has repeatedly violated the terms of his asylum.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks went to Twitter on Friday and cited high-level sources who confirmed Assange would be expelled “within hours to days” by the Ecuadorian state who would use INAPapers offshore scandal as a pretext, referring to documents that implicated Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno in a corruption scandal.
In fact, if Assange has left the building of the embassy where he has been residing since 2012, it is believed that he would be extradited to the US and get arrested by the Metropolitan police on an outstanding warrant for failing to surrender to bail.
The news took the media, journalists and human rights organizations by storm and prompted debates over his fate if expelled from the embassy where he could face risks of being jailed, tortured in addition to concerns over human rights violations that might be carried out against him.
On Twitter, many users expressed concerns over the risks of facing human rights violations if Assange was actually expelled by the embassy urging authorities in power to help him.
Julain Assange has been a controversial figure for the past decade as he is still in isolation from the outside world a year after the Ecuadorian Embassy restricted his internet connection and deprived him of any visits.
Debates about his case often revolve around his right to freedom or sent to jail for leaking highly-sensitive information on issues like the Collateral Murder video in Iraq, the Afghanistan war logs and Cable Gate in addition to rumors on his involvement in US 2016 presidential elections.
He had been also facing charges of rape and sexual harassment filed against him in Sweden in 2010, which were later dropped.
Still, it is believed that the Julian Assange story reveals the threats seen to face democracy and freedoms of speech in the West.
