Hague says Assange will not be allowed to leave the country...

[StarBeast]

Surely Ecuador can use the Diplomatic bag concept and we are powerless to stop it. Will we violate the DB?

[DTCwordfan]

Not sure the bag covers humans - however he could be a courier - though his personal baggage may be savaged. http://www.state.gov/ofm/customs/c37011.htm

[Jeza]

What gets me in all this is, we can't throw out hook man or the man who we want to send to Jordan, both names escape me as it's been a long day. Assange If I understand correctly is an Australian Citizen, therefore a member of the commonwealth, yet we are prepared to throw him to the wolves.

[Buenchico]

International law doesn't allow for the movement of people via diplomatic bags.

William Hague is obliged to come out with the usual rhetoric if he wants the UK to maintain good relations with Sweden (and with the USA, who are almost certainly the real driving force behind the extradition request).

However that doesn't prevent 'behind the scenes' negotiations, between Britain and Ecuador, for Britain to 'accidentally turn a blind eye' to Julian Assange being smuggled out of the country. (Of course William Hague will then howl in protest at the alleged 'trickery' of Ecuador, in order to placate Sweden and the USA, but it will have got rid of a problem that he'd rather not have in the first place).

Cynical? Me? Surely not!

Chris

[baza]

if my memory serves me correctly didnt the killers of WPC Fletcher get out of the country without any problems.

[Buenchico]

They were part of the diplomatic mission and hence had diplomatic immunity from prosecution, Baza.

[sandyRoe]

Why couldn't Assanger be issued with a diplomatic passport?

[LazyGun]

Because he would first have to be an ecuadorean citizen. Then he would need to be appointed as an ecuadorean diplomat. Then his credentials would have to be passed the the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for accreditation -which would not happen. So, no diplomatic passport.....

[vivandorron]

No way Chris are you being cynical. I go along with your line of thought on this one.

It may well be that the diplomatic bag cannot be used for the movement of people. However, as the Bag can be in the form of a large Shipping Container which cannot be opened by Border Control, it would be possible for a 'blind-eye' to turned for Julian Assange to be smuggled out of the UK.

Ron.

[LazyGun]

Border control may not be able to open a large crate with the proper diplomatic seals etc, but they can certainly scan such a container. Should a scan show a body, I would imagine they would have every right to open the crate at that point......

http://www.guardian.c...dor-embassy-wikileaks

[sandyRoe]

Not long ago the UK government asked the Jordanians for assurances about the treatment of Abu Qatada if he were to be extradited to Jordan.
Could our government not have tried to secure assurances from Sweden that Assange would be allowed to return to the UK after the matters mentioned on the extradition warrants had been dealt with?
While it's hypothetical now, such an assurance would have prevented him from occupying the moral high ground.

[vivandorron]

LG....It's an interesting article but it still leaves a question as to whether a diplomatic bag in actual fact can be opened....the words 'may be' are used:-

//But such a package is not immune from scanning, or from thermal imaging, which would pick up body heat from inside any such package. In such circumstances, UK authorities may be entitled to open the package and seize the concealed Assange.//

Ron.

[Quizmonster]

It may well be that 'host' authorities are not permitted to "open" a suspect diplomatic bag, but - rather than using thermal imaging - I think in the present case "pitch-forking" might be applied!

[sandyRoe]

How would our diplomats in places like Saudi get their alcohol if diplomatic luggage was subjected to searching?

[Gromit]

Margaret Thatcher said she would not allow the murderer of Yvonne Fletcher to leave the country, but in the end she had to do. He could probably sculk off in a similar manner. It does feel like he is trying to evade justice rather than fear extradition.

[emmie]

The Americans want him, we know that, so any kind of deal isn't going to work. We could ask for all the assurances in the world from Sweden, about his treatment, but it would seem what the Americans say goes, if he gets out the country he will be a hunted man.

[Debbie83]

Am i missing something here? This man is effectively responsible for publishing confidential communications which the US government (rightly or wrongly) claim could have cost US lives. He is also wanted in Sweden on a charge of sexual assault. Unless I've missed something big here, why shouldn't he be extradited to either country to face charges. Sexual assault is a serious offence for which fe should answer and as for Wikileaks, if you don't like getting burned, don't play with fire. I can't see why so many people are defending him and why Ecuador feel they need to get involved in this.

[ichkeria]

Comparisons with Sbu Hanza are particularly ludicrous. Although the two cases have one thing in common: we want to extradite Abu Hamza but we can't. We want to extradite Assange - and we can't!
As a matter of fact the US hadn't even tried to extradite Assange and hadn't even said it wants to. I think it was a Scandinavian lawyer of Assange's who was asked - twice - on the radio this morning the obvious question: if you think the YS is so keen to get him why in earth don't they try and extradite him from the UK, as it's extremely unlikely they could do so from Sweden. He waffled and basically didn't give an answer. But continued to parrot the assertion that he was wanted in the US.
I wonder if the best option for JA might not to be to go to Swrden and be convicted. He'd probably face more civiised conditions in a Swedush jail than the Ecuadorean embassy. Also part of his asylum terms preclude him making political statements.

[ichkeria]

Abu Qatada sorry!

[bazwillrun]

Hague is saying the UK gov. doesnt not recognise his asylum claim with Ecuador......hmmm , pretty crass when you look at some of the probably hundreds of thousands of bogus asylum claims we have recognised and allowed/facilitated over the years of people coming here, which includes all sorts including war criminals, drug dealers etc etc