X

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange seeks asylum in Ecuador

Officials in the South American nation are considering a request for political asylum from the WikiLeaks founder, who faces extradation from the U.K. to Sweden.

Donna Tam Staff Writer / News
Donna Tam covers Amazon and other fun stuff for CNET News. She is a San Francisco native who enjoys feasting, merrymaking, checking her Gmail and reading her Kindle.
Donna Tam
Julian Assange
Julian Assange in England, December 2010. Screenshot by Jonathan Skillings/CNET

Ecuador is considering a political asylum request from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Reuters reported today.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters that the country is "studying and analyzing the request."

Assange faces extradition from the U.K. to Sweden over alleged sex crimes after Britain's Supreme Court ruled against his appeallate last month.

BNO News reported that Assange is seeking asylum due to the "abandonment" of his home country of Australia, according to a Google Translate version of a statement from Assange.