Posted on 02/21/2019 7:00:00 PM PST by Texas Fossil
Julian Assange has been issued a new passport by his native Australia, regional media reported Thursday, clearing one of several hurdles keeping the wanted WikiLeaks publisher from exiting the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and returning home.
Andrew Todd, an assistant secretary for the Consular and Crisis Management Division of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, confirmed that the government approved a passport application filed by Mr. Assange in 2018, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Mr. Assange does have an Australian passport, Mr. Todd said during a Senate hearing, the newspaper reported.
Mr. Assange, 47, was born in Townsville, Australia, in 1971. He has lived in the Ecuadorian Embassy since 2012, however, when he sought asylum in the face of the U.S. investigating his WikiLeaks website over its publication of classified State and Defense Department material. British authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in the interim, and he fears he will be apprehended if he leaves the embassy and extradited to the U.S. to face charges related to releasing hundreds of thousands of secretive documents.
Ecuador granted asylum and citizenship to Mr. Assange in 2012 and 2017, respectively, but the future of his status has become clouded on account of the current administration in Quito repeatedly raising concerns recently regarding his ongoing residency.
snip
Mr. Assange ultimately was issued the passport in October 2018, the report said, following lengthy negotiations over whether he wanted abroad for a serious offense as described by Australian law.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I’m not sure but...isn’t a car with diplomatic plates the same as sovereign territory? Like the embassies and their grounds? Immune to search and seizure?
I know in D.C. and northern Virginia cars with diplomatic plates routinely break every traffic law in existence and never even get pulled over due to the diplomatic plates.
I would think England just wants him gone and out of their way.
To my knowledge, yes, they are the same.
Assange will need a diplomatic/military escort all the way to Australia, if he's to stay out of prison.
“To my knowledge, yes, they are the same.”
Then an Australian diplomatic car picks Assange up at the Ecuadorian embassy and drives him directly to an Australian government owned plane at Heathrow for the flight to Australia.
All properly overseen and escorted by Australian diplomats and embassy guards of course.
Don’t trust the Brits not to make a clusterscrew of the situation though.
He may have been safer in the Embassy than outside.
When he leaked on Hillary, his life was in danger.
Now? Guess we may see.
Thanks for explanation.
She’s seriously cute
I wouldn’t say hero because of WHAT [CLAS] he leaked. Yet, I wouldn’t say traitor because what he leaked was an exposure of treason.
If he is still alive (50/50, for me), then give him the opportunity to ruin the one person he hates more than anyone else in the world...Hillary Clinton.
OK.
If you say so. smile.
Well, I guess he should be thankful for that, considering where he is.
Jus because something was labeled as classified doesn’t mean the information was righteous.
I could tell you things that would send the entire population into a riot...but they are classified.
Using classification to hide criminal activity by the government isn’t protecting this nation.
No doubt those who helped were agency types who got their own network to help him from the 5th floor of the consulate....
Well somebody helped him, he has been in the Embassy a long time.
I’d like to give the guy a medal.
Well he has put the heat on a lot of politicians who needed it.
Yep. And the NSA surveillance.
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