Assange should leave Ecuador’s embassy, says his lawyer

Mexico City, Nov 11 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The lawyer of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said the latter should not remain inside Ecuador’s embassy any longer as his health condition might begin worsening.

Assange, 41, has been sheltering inside Ecuador’s embassy in London since June to avoid his extradition to Sweden, where he faces a case in a rape trial that he calls politically motivated.

“If his stay at the embassy continues we will encounter with [Assange’s] serious health and psychological problems,” said Spanish ex-judge Baltasar Garzon, who is currently visiting Brazil.

Assange stays in a studio room that has space for little more than a mattress on the floor, a rickety shelving unit, a small round table with leatherette chairs.

There is also a running machine and he runs between three and five miles each day. He maintains a strict exercise regime, seeing a personal trainer every other day. But his health condition, according to his lawyer, prompts concerns.

Garzon said his client is not evading the trial in Sweden, but Assange fears that he could be extradited to the US, where he could be charged with espionage.

“We would like for the trial to take place in Sweden, but we want secure conditions,” Garzon said.

Assange was granted asylum in Ecuador in August but he still faces arrest the minute he steps out of the embassy building.

His whistleblowing site Wikileaks made an enemy of the US government in 2010, when it leaked hundreds of thousands of American diplomatic cables. The US authorities have not ruled out requesting his extradition from Sweden.

—IANS/RIA Novosti

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IANS 2012-11-11 09:06:17