Assange dismisses extradition notice
30 Jun 2012 1:27 AM GMT
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has dismissed the extradition notice served on him by Scotland Yard, saying he 'almost certainly will not' attend a police station after breaching bail conditions.
The notice was served on him on Thursday at the Ecuador embassy where he has taken refuge and sought political asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault.
The notice by Scotland Yard said he was required to attend a police station 'at a time of our choosing'.
Assange told BBC when asked if he would attend a police station: 'Our advice is that asylum law both internationally and domestically takes precedence over extradition law, so almost certainly not.'
The 40-year-old Australian-born said he was in an 'outrageous situation' and wanted a guarantee that the US would not seek to prosecute him.
He said so far the staff in the Ecuadorean embassy had been 'warm and generous'. 'The staff here are keeping me well and providing for my basic needs,' he said.
In a brief statement, Scotland Yard said: 'This is standard procedure in extradition cases and is the first step in the removal process. He remains in breach of his bail conditions and failure to surrender would be a further breach of those conditions and he is liable to arrest.'
One of Assange's conditions was that he would remain at the bail address between 22.00 hours and 0800 hours.
This was breached on 20 June after he sought sanctuary in the Ecuador embassy and sought political asylum.
The notice was served on him on Thursday at the Ecuador embassy where he has taken refuge and sought political asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault.
The notice by Scotland Yard said he was required to attend a police station 'at a time of our choosing'.
Assange told BBC when asked if he would attend a police station: 'Our advice is that asylum law both internationally and domestically takes precedence over extradition law, so almost certainly not.'
The 40-year-old Australian-born said he was in an 'outrageous situation' and wanted a guarantee that the US would not seek to prosecute him.
He said so far the staff in the Ecuadorean embassy had been 'warm and generous'. 'The staff here are keeping me well and providing for my basic needs,' he said.
In a brief statement, Scotland Yard said: 'This is standard procedure in extradition cases and is the first step in the removal process. He remains in breach of his bail conditions and failure to surrender would be a further breach of those conditions and he is liable to arrest.'
One of Assange's conditions was that he would remain at the bail address between 22.00 hours and 0800 hours.
This was breached on 20 June after he sought sanctuary in the Ecuador embassy and sought political asylum.
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