Ecuador Cutting Off WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange's Communications Outside London Embassy (suntimes.com)

The government of Ecuador said on Wednesday it has cut off internet access in its embassy in London to Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing site WikiLeaks, saying that he was putting the country's international relations at risk. In a statement released on Wednesday, Ecuador said that the step had been taken because Assange had failed to abide by an agreement not to interfere in the South American country's relations with other states. From a report: As part of an agreement between Assange and the Ecuadorean government, he is not permitted to send any messages that could interfere with the South American nation's relations with other countries. Assange has been living in Ecuador's embassy for more than five years.

Comments

Now, he is in prison

[Ronin Developer]

If he has no means to communicate with the outside world or to travel freely...that's the definition of incarceration. Finally.

Re:Now, he is in prison

[bobbied]

He can walk out the front door anytime he wishes...

(sarc)Trading the Gilded cage in the embassy for a British jail cell? Yea, he's "free" to choose. (/sarc)

Re:Now, he is in prison

[Archtech]

You do know that the US currently does not, nor has ever had an extradition order on him, right?

Nor, AFAIK, on any of the people languishing (if that's the word I'm looking for) in Guantanamo.

So what?

Re:Now, he is in prison

[jellomizer]

He is probably too paranoid for cell phones. He will also need to actually trust people for memory card swap.

He is a prisoner of his own device.

Welcome to the Hotel Ecuador UK

Re:Now, he is in prison

[arth1]

Guantanamo is a military prison, so to end up there, you must somehow get detained by our military. This isn't a discussion on if you agree with it or not, simply a statement on how you end up there. Since our military is not currently involved in combat operations within the UK, Assanage would not end up there.

This would be nice if it were true. However, several of the Guantanamo Bay detainees were arrested in countries where the US didn't have military combat operations, and brought to Afghanistan for bounty. Adel Noori is perhaps the most famous case.

Re:Now, he is in prison

[lucm]

Let's see. The situation is that he engaged twice in unprotected sex with girls that were asleep (which is essentially rape), then he ran away when he was accused rather than face these "unfair" accusations, then he hid in the embassy of a publicity-seeking diplomat, and remains there even though the rape charges in Sweden were abandoned because the prosecutor realized he would never appear in court to face the music before going past the statute of limitation.

So at this point the reasons for him to remain "protected" in that embassy are:
1) skipping bail on no longer relevant charges
2) free food and hero status
3) an alleged CIA conspiracy to send him to gitmo (or some other secret prison) because he took part in the leak of confidential documents under the obama administration

You're allowed to cream over that buffoon all you want, but please let's stop pretending that there are "facts" supporting your worshipping.

Grow some balls

[Stan92057]

Time for him to grow some balls and have his day in court. And im sure their are some Ecuadors who are in need of the funds their government is useing to keep him alive...

Re:Grow some balls

[UnknowingFool]

Considering that FISA courts do not try people I would say the chance if very good he'll never be convicted in one. FISA courts exist to grant surveillance requests.

Re:Sometimes a paranoid kook is a paranoid kook.

[Registered Coward v2]

For one thing, it's in weak countries' interest to have as much strife as much as possible between superpowers (US, Russia, China) as possible. If the big thugs are arguing amongst each other directly, they're less concerned about proxy wars and imperialism in places like Latin America. Keep 'em occupied and worried.

I tend to disagree. Strife between major powers often results in proxy wars simply because teh big powers have too much to lose so they support other countries and let them fight it out. They like the idea of a little power poking the eye of their enemy, it's less risky then an all out confrontation.

Plus, it feels good to punch up as the little guy.

Until, of course, the big guy punches back.

Re:Not very welcome

[amiga3D]

He won't quit agitating. He is attacking people using his access and you can't blame Ecuador for getting tired of it.

The worst in Slashdotters

[Anonymous Coward]

It seems that the Assange topic brings out the really ugly in the Slashdot crowd: petty, bitter, cynical, superficial.

Folks, sometimes you're really disgusting.

Re:Wifi

[UnknowingFool]

Sure. He can just contact any ISP he wants to have one installed what is considered sovereign territory of Ecuador. The country won't mind. Also all ISPs would love to get entangled in an international incident.