Govt says it cut Assange internet over US election leaks

pulse

October 19, 2016 12:26 AM

In consequence, the ministry said, it decided to "temporarily restrict" communications at the embassy.

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, addresses journalists via a live video feed on October 4, 2016 in Berlin

"The government of Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states. It does not interfere in external electoral processes, nor does it favor any particular candidate," the Ecuadoran foreign ministry said in a statement.

WikiLeaks has published a damaging trove of hacked emails from US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign in recent weeks.

On Monday it accused Ecuador of cutting off Assange's internet communications at the behest of US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The United States denied the allegation.

"Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorian officials about this are simply untrue. Period," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.

Ecuador also implicitly denied the claim in its statement.

"Ecuador's foreign policy responds to sovereign decisions alone and does not yield to pressure from other states," it said.

Ecuador reaffirmed its decision to grant Assange asylum, and said the restriction on communications at its embassy did not hinder WikiLeaks itself.

"This temporary restriction does not prevent the WikiLeaks organization from carrying out its journalistic activities," it said.

Assange fled to Ecuador's London embassy in June 2012.

The 45-year-old Australian is fighting extradition to Sweden to face a rape accusation.

He denies the allegation and says he fears Sweden wants to hand him over to the United States to face trial for the leaking of hundreds of thousands of classified US military and diplomatic documents in 2010.

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