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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.
If he has no means to communicate with the outside world or to travel freely...that's the definition of incarceration. Finally.
The current Ecuadorian government inherited Assange, and it's no secret that they don't agree with his staying at the embassy. It's not the first time they have cut his access, and overall, making it undesirable for him to stay and get him to leave on his own there is likely the overall strategy, avoiding any backlash from actually tossing him out.
It is a bit disturbing how easy an access to internet can be either stopped or limited. Is not it the time for the New Internet? - https://www.wired.com/2017/06/...
Yes, I'm sure there's a public wifi just in reach called "NotMI5Honest" that he could use.
Perhaps it's time for Ecuador to start charging him rent.
Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
Assange is a Paranoid kook.
Why would any government try to protect a guy who is against government. It is only matter of time, where he is going to bite you back, because he has no respect for anyone. And will do anything to express his narrative.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
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...
Jack of all trades,master of none
... he is not permitted to send any messages that could interfere with the South American nation's relations with other countries. ...
Frankly, if this is really what he agreed to upon entry... than it was a surprisingly ignorant stipulation. Anyone who even has a passing familiarity with his work (which could be established with a simple google search and two minutes of research) would readily comprehend that the only way that they could possibly have prevented him from interfering with their relations with other countries would have been to not let him in the front door in the first place. It's as though they had no understanding of what "harboring a fugitive" actually means; you take this action, and the government bodies who want his ass in jail will be upset with you. That's not exactly a hard leap to make.
There's a simple plan where Assange could easily move outside the embassy.
1) Create a fake Twitter account and post a really mean tweet followed by an announcement you'll be holding a parade just outside London - this will draw the entire London police force and most of the military to strike down the tweeter before he can tweet again, enabling Assange to walk out of the embassy unchallenged.
2) Embed himself in management for an under-age rape gang, as they are immune from policing in the UK and presumably he could make a good living there.
Of course, once free if I were him I'd stay away from park benches and BMW's given how much he has entered pretty much every government.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The greatest crime in America is revealing how dirty career politicians are.
How dare he show a very small example of how evil Hillary is.
I guess if someone had proof that Hillary killed even close to half of the 100+ people who dropped dead around that family she would be considered a hero by the left and the whistle blower would be guilty of treason or worse?
Does trolling like this pay well? I'm looking for a gig and I could do way better at this than you are doing. Of course, I'm a native English speaking American so it would be easier for me to troll than for you.
If you have something to say that makes the deep government or the DNC look bad, watch out !
We can't have people in foreign countries doing exposes.
The world has been inching to global totalitarianism since the 70s. This is just a new milestone.
But, but, Internet access — fast Internet access — is a human right in better countries...
Why has Julian lost his — with nary a protest?
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
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.
That is what happens to people who jump bail.
The "concept" of bail does not exist in Europe.
It does exist in Britain, which is all that's relevant here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bail#History
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
Given the amount of Bitcoin in Wikileaks' wallets, this shouldn't be a problem.
Well, for the next week or two, anyway.
You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
Statute of limitations doesn't run out in Sweden until 2020. Assange steps out of embassy, the UK police would be happy to hand him over to Sweden, where he can be interrogated for weeks without a lawyer for Wikileaks activity,
He's not wanted in Sweden for Wikileaks activity, or anything to do with Wikileaks. It's doubtful that Sweden cares about Wikileaks one way or the other.
He's wanted to answer questions about a rape investigation. That investigation has been dropped, though, so he's not actually wanted in Sweden at all. (Although they could resume the investigation later, if they chose to, on one of the two rape charges (the other one is past the statute of limitations).)
because he hasn't been officially charged in the US (as Assange haters keep reminding everyone). Then deported to said US.
He can't be deported to the US, since he's not from there in the first place. I think you mean "extradited." But even there, there hasn't (so far) been any charges, much less an extradition request.
They've done it before: https://www.theguardian.com/co...
that's the exact opposite-- a person extradited to Sweden.
They should. He's just an attention-seeking, man-child mooch and he's not even grateful.
Q told us this last night.
"OFFLINE FOR A REASON"
Unlikely. I'm pretty sure that most embassies employ various methods to prevent unauthorized wifi signals from penetrating the embassy.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
It is a bit disturbing how easy an access to internet can be either stopped or limited
Ecuador SAYS it blocked his internet access. When in reality he's probably hacked the whole inner network connected everywhere...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Sounds like a job for an optical link then!
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Someone get down there and leave a wifi hotspot. As much as Assange is a polarising figure I can't help but think the world is better with him. A little chaos keeps everyone honest. There is a reason authorities hate him so much, some down to him obviously, but really, I see it more of a silencing effort. More whistleblowing is good, Wikileaks does good. Look at facebook right now. The Facebook/Googles/Governments of the world need to be continually checked on what they are doing, else they will keep reaching deeper until stopped.
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.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
It was all in the link provided.
1) Sweden goes to great trouble to get Pirate Bay founder in custody from Cambodia
2) As soon as he arrives in Sweden, Svartholm is held in effective solitary confinement and interrogated for weeks without a lawyer on completely separate charges for Denmark. People have falsely confessed to murders they didn't commit in far less time.
3) As soon as Svartholm's sentence in Sweden is finished, he was handed over to Danish authorities to be tried in that country for the aforementioned separate charges.
So Assange haters should feel free to stop gaslighting people at any time. The man has perfectly valid fears about the Swedish farce being a pretext to hand him over to the United States.
He's the guest who won't leave. Ever have someone over to your place and they stay too long, and they wind up irritating you?
That's Assange now. Even if you like the guy, and generally agree with his worldview, and want to support him... it's been 5 years. This situation needs some resolution, or at least a better compromise that what exists now. Embassy facilities are for Embassy staff and Embassy business. Assange's case doesn't actually fall into any of that.
For instance, and this is just off the top of my head. Ecuador might be willing to host and shelter him on Ecuadorian soil. It would be less expensive and less disruptive to their London Embassy operations. Yes, there is a delicate matter of the Brits trying to arrest him as he leaves. However this is an Embassy, they negotiate stuff all the time. Arrangements are made, face is saved, international relations are (usually) preserved.
Honestly, having him in the Embassy is just embarrassing and underscores the impermanent nature of his plight.
I honest wonder if it wouldn't be better for him to just go serve his time and get it over with. At this point he's basically living in a prison anyways.
"People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
wtf is he doing still hanging out there?
Why doesn't he just go out and face the consequences of his actions, fair or unfair, and get on with his fucking life?
"oh poor me, the world wants to be mean to me", well get over it, the world is unfair and mean to most people. Thats what lets us know we are still alive, not trying to hide in somebodies embassy avoiding responsibility for ourselves.
I've been talking to the Ecuadorian tech guys and they have just changed the wifi SSID to GoHomeNowJulian and the password is Solo ve a casa, podrías.
I don't think he's getting the hint.
He has groupies, right? They can set up the optical link and the ISP doesn't have to know who it's for.
Maybe just an optical link to a cell data connection on the balcony? It's expensive, so they'd have to sell some buttcoins.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Yes, being waterboarded at Gitmo and then executed for "treason" is how people embrace life. Bold words, AC.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
This is a common myth. An embassy is not treated in law as part of the sending state. Rather, the privileges enjoyed by an embassy and its personnel are only those provided by the receiving state's laws implementing the Vienna Convention; outside of the privileges that the Vienna Convention provides, the receiving state's laws still apply, and the land still remains part of the receiving state's territory.
"99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
Maybe just an optical link to a cell data connection on the balcony? It's expensive, so they'd have to sell some buttcoins.
And again, the government of Ecuador won't mind that he's breaching security of their sovereign territory at all? I don't doubt there are technical solutions to this; I seriously do not think Ecuador will allow any of them.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
This is a common myth. An embassy is not treated in law as part of the sending state. Rather, the privileges enjoyed by an embassy and its personnel are only those provided by the receiving state's laws implementing the Vienna Convention; outside of the privileges that the Vienna Convention provides, the receiving state's laws still apply, and the land still remains part of the receiving state's territory.
Can Julian Assange install a new internet connection inside the embassy for his use? The answer is not without the permission of Ecuador who does not seem agreeable to it.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
It's not Sweden that really wants him. It's the US. And the British Tories can't afford to really piss Trump off right now. So if Assange leaves the Ecuadorian embassy, it won't be Sweden that tells the Brits to hand him over. It will be the US. And they'll get him, too.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Why should they get him? Its a charge for a crime in Sweden. For an Australian. In Ecuador (kinda). Bordering Britain. Yet we all know they will piggy back a million other charges under it because it happens to be convenient. The whole thing is purely political. There are worse criminals wandering the streets but its a charge and they will enforce it because he is a VIP criminal. No-one see Assange as a public threat under the current charge. But by-God will they nail him on everything else.
For all the time he has spent there, he could have tunneled out of the embassy with a spoon by now.
Really?
Because from where I am standing, the whole process has been pretty damn humiliating for the UK from the very start.
I mean, seriously.
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
Given the ubiquitous nature of cell phones, it is almost certain that the Embassy does not block cellular signals. They may try to block WiFi and provide their own to employees and staff, but it is unlikely they do the same with cellular services.
given how much he has entered pretty much every government.
Here I meant to say "how much he has *angered* pretty much every government", but "entered" is amusingly more accurate (and pornographic).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Yes, being waterboarded at Gitmo and then executed for "treason" is how people embrace life. Bold words, AC.
This is the most retarded comment I've read today, and yet I just spent the last half hour on 4chan.
lucm, indeed.
I wonder if they get diplomatic net neutrality
lucm, indeed.
You think President "I love Wikileaks" Trump will send Julian to Gitmo?
You got it. As for why they should get him, the answer's in your comment. They want him, and that's enough. "Excuse me, sir, but it appears you have been walking openly on the street after having been a jerk for five years. That is an extraditable offense. Please come with us."
"An extraditable offense? Since when!"
"Since yesterday, sir, when our eavesdropping equipment let us know you were planning to leave."
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Pamela Anderson could probably arrange to smuggle in a Sears Catalog in her purse.
Wow, the NATO trolls are really out in force commenting on this story.
So what you're saying is that embassies don't understand what a Faraday cage is. Or that cell jamming technology doesn't exist. I'm not talking about Star Trek level technologies here.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Obama won, twice. Get over it.
Luke, help me take this mask off
Where do his clothes come from?
Does he wake up and walk down to an embassy dining hall for food?
Do they have maid service changing the sheets? Bringing him towels and soap?
Do they have a small shop with razors, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc? ...and he seems to have a computer, maybe they have an embassy business center like th embassy suites hotel chain?
Five years is a long time!
No, it does not. Try reading it some time. This idea that the sending state's law applies on embassy grounds is just a myth. What applies on embassy grounds is limited circumstances in which the receiving state may do various actions.
Note that in no case are the immunities unlimited. For example, specifically in the case of embassies and Ecuador, Italian police once caught them using a diplomatic "pouch" (normally immune to searches) to smuggle cocaine. Once they had found reasonable suspicion that it contained drugs, they searched it. How was this legal? Because the Vienna Conventions only apply to things being used for valid embassy purposes. There's of course sometimes a fine line dividing "valid" and "invalid", but it's mostly a political one, not a legal one; the receiving state will generally shy away from enforcement except in egregious cases (such as drugs or weapons smuggling, or in one case even sending humans!) in order to not cause a political stir.
In the Assange case, it would have been well within the UK's rights (as they pointed out to Ecuador early on) to raid the embassy, as they considered sheltering him to not be a legally valid purpose under the Vienna Conventions. However, this would have almost certainly resulted in significant political consequences - at the very least damaged diplomatic relations, and likely trade relations as well. Over the issue of Assange, Ecuador gambled (correctly) that the UK wasn't willing to accept that.
"99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
a request to the UK to grant their new citizen diplomatic status ... It was denied
Looks quite like during the 1980's, due to Thatcher's relentlessness 10 Irish prisoners die as a result of a hunger strike.
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
He should be able to use 4G on a mobile phone. Maybe Ecuador will cut off his power too.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Ecuador can put whatever conditions they want on his stay; Assange doesn't own the place. They could demand that if he wants to stay there he has to wear a gorilla costume 24/7 and walk around quacking like a duck; there's nothing in the law that says you have to let any random person stay with you rent-free and can't impose any conditions on their stay. They could literally have security carry him out the door and that'd be fully within their rights, just like it'd be your rights to do so if you let a guest stay in your house and they didn't follow the rules you laid out.
"99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
I believe that inside an embassy is a good use case for cell phone jammers.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
So what you're saying is that embassies don't understand what a Faraday cage is. Or that cell jamming technology doesn't exist. I'm not talking about Star Trek level technologies here.
I don't know who you are replying to with this, but of course embassies know what Faraday cages and cell phone jammers are.
Both technologies are simple to implement, but have significant downsides. Yes, the embassy could try putting the entire building inside a Faraday cage, but opening a window or standing in an outside courtyard would be trivial ways to bypass that. They can install cell phone jammers, but then nobody's cell phones would work and that would be a significant inconvenience to staff and visitors.
They almost certainly have secured areas that are shielded against RF, but they almost certainly aren't letting Assange into any of them.
Its only a little place. Any jammer which could cut Assange of 100% would affect coverage in the street, and probably be against local laws. People rely on cell phones for safety.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
I think maybe they're getting tired of him. Guy has been freeloading off of them for 5 years. I think it's just a matter of time before he ventures out and is arrested.
Pork rinds aren't actually bad. They got a bad name because of the fat free fad of the 80s, along with the lard that is often used to cook them, which itself also has an undeserved bad name. The fat free fad has pretty much been debunked at this point (and suprise, saturated fats and cholesterol aren't either; incidents of heart disease increased exponentially the moment we started avoiding these.) If you already have any kind of heart disease, congestive lung failure, or kidney disease, you might want to avoid the salted rinds, but if you don't have any of those problems, then salt won't ever bother you.
ts only a little place. Any jammer which could cut Assange of 100% would affect coverage in the street, and probably be against local laws.
That relies on the notion that someone setting up a cell phone jammer never assessing the range, effectiveness, or selectivity of jamming or blocking methods.
and probably be against local laws.People rely on cell phones for safety.
And whose laws would be broken? First of all it would be Ecuador's laws that are in play and second, many government buildings around the world block and jam cell phone signals. How do you think they get around these laws unless there are granted clear exceptions. For example, I would guarantee you that you can't get a cell phone signal inside the NSA or FBI or CIA headquarters in the US. I would also guarantee you that can't get a cell phone signal inside the MI6 building in London. I would think various embassies around the world ensure that wifi/cell phone signals are blocked for security reasons.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.