Embassy of Ecuador, London

Last updated

Embassy of Ecuador in London
Embassy of Ecuador, London (2016) 09.JPG
Embassy of Ecuador, London
Location Knightsbridge, London
Address3 Hans Crescent, London, SW1
Coordinates 51°29′56″N0°09′41″W / 51.4990°N 0.1614°W / 51.4990; -0.1614
Ambassador Jaime Marchan-Romero

The Embassy of Ecuador in London is the diplomatic mission of Ecuador in the United Kingdom. [1] It is headed by the ambassador of Ecuador to the United Kingdom. It is located in the Knightsbridge area of London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is in an apartment building which also houses the Embassy of Colombia as well as a number of residential apartments, near Harrods, Hyde Park, and Hans Place, at 3 Hans Crescent [2] at the intersection with Basil Street, and it is close to Knightsbridge Underground station. [3]

Contents

For almost seven years the embassy was home to the Australian activist and journalist Julian Assange, who initially entered on 19 June 2012 claiming diplomatic asylum, [4] [5] [6] which was granted by the Ecuadorian government on 16 August 2012. He had absconded in breach of bail after dismissal of his appeal by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. [5] [7] [8]

Functions

The embassy is charged with representing the interests of the president and government of Ecuador, improving diplomatic relations between Ecuador and the accredited countries, promoting and improving the image and standing of Ecuador in the accredited nations, promoting the culture of Ecuador, encouraging and facilitating tourism to and from Ecuador, and ensuring the safety of Ecuadorians abroad.

The structure that houses the embassy is a white stucco-fronted red-brick building on Hans Crescent in the Knightsbridge area of London. The embassy is a suite of rooms occupying part of the ground floor of the building, which is an apartment block. [5]

Ecuador also maintains a consulate at 144-146 Kings Cross Road, London WC1X 9DU [9] and an Office of the Naval Assistant and Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization at 61 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon, London. [1]

Julian Assange's refuge (2012–2019)

Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2012 Julian Assange in Ecuadorian Embassy.jpg
Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in August 2012

The co-founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, was a resident of the embassy for seven years after entering it on 19 June 2012 to claim diplomatic asylum after being wanted by Swedish authorities for questioning over four alleged sexual offences. [4] [5] [6] Assange's asylum request was eventually granted by the Ecuadorian government in August 2012. [5] [7] [8] The Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation in May 2017, claiming they could not expect the Ecuadorian Embassy to communicate reliably with Assange with respect to the case. [10]

The British government had suggested it could use its discretionary powers under the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 to enter the embassy and arrest Assange [6] after giving the embassy due notice. However, it later retracted the suggestion, following condemnation from Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño and President Rafael Correa. [11] Patiño described the British government's statement as "a clear breach of international law and the protocols set out in the Vienna Convention." [12]

Press outside the embassy in August 2012 Ecuador's London embassy 16 August 2012.jpg
Press outside the embassy in August 2012

On 16 August 2012, police and protesters gathered outside the embassy, with reports of minor scuffles between the two groups and arrests of some of the protesters. [13] On 19 August 2012, Assange made a speech from a low [14] balcony of the embassy. [15] Assange's remarks were prefaced by a statement from Baltasar Garzón, who headed his legal team. [15] This was followed by protests in Ecuador outside the British embassy in Quito, as well as support for Correa's approval of the asylum request. [11]

On 22 August 2012, the Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa stated that Assange would be allowed to stay in the embassy indefinitely, but that Ecuador would be open to negotiations with the British government if it withdrew its threats to storm the embassy. [16] [17]

In August 2014, Assange called a press conference and announced he would be leaving the embassy "soon". [18]

Press photographs taken outside the embassy were reported to have shown police notes stating that Assange was to be arrested "under all circumstances". [19] The policing of the embassy during the first two years of Assange's stay reportedly cost £6.5 million. [20] Before the police guard was lifted in February 2015, costs of policing Assange had reached £10 million. [21]

The Guardian revealed in May 2018 that Ecuador had employed an international security company for more than five years to monitor Assange's visitors. [22]

On 3 April 2019, WikiLeaks claimed that the Ecuadorian embassy would expel Assange within a few hours or days but Jose Valencia, Foreign Minister of Ecuador called it a rumour. Two days later the statements of Assange's departure came after the Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno accused Assange of repeatedly violating the terms of asylum. [23] On 11 April 2019, Assange was arrested by British authorities who were invited into the embassy by the Ecuadorian government. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Ecuador</span>

This article describes the diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and international relations of Ecuador

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecuador–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Ecuador and the United States maintained close ties based on mutual interests in maintaining democratic institutions; combating cannabis and cocaine; building trade, investment, and financial ties; cooperating in fostering Ecuador's economic development; and participating in inter-American organizations. Ties are further strengthened by the presence of an estimated 150,000-200,000 Ecuadorians living in the United States and by 24,000 U.S. citizens visiting Ecuador annually, and by approximately 15,000 U.S. citizens living in Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafael Correa</span> President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017

Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation until 2017, Correa is a democratic socialist and his administration focused on the implementation of left-wing policies. Internationally, he served as president pro tempore of the UNASUR. Since 2017, he has been living in exile in Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenín Moreno</span> President of Ecuador from 2017 to 2021

Lenín Boltaire Moreno Garcés is an Ecuadorian politician who served as the 46th president of Ecuador, from 2017 to 2021. Moreno was vice president from 2007 to 2013, serving under President Rafael Correa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WikiLeaks</span> News leak publishing organisation

WikiLeaks is a non-profit media organisation and publisher of leaked documents. It is funded by donations and media partnerships. It has published classified documents and other media provided by anonymous sources. It was founded in 2006 by Julian Assange, an Australian editor, publisher, and activist. Since September 2018, Kristinn Hrafnsson has served as its editor-in-chief. Its website states that it has released more than ten million documents and associated analyses. WikiLeaks' most recent publication of original documents was in 2019 and its most recent publication was in 2021. From November 2022, numerous documents on the organisation's website became inaccessible. In 2023, Assange said that WikiLeaks is no longer able to publish due to his imprisonment and the effect that US government surveillance and WikiLeaks' funding restrictions were having on potential whistleblowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chancery (diplomacy)</span> Building which houses a diplomatic mission or embassy

A chancery is the principal office that houses a diplomatic mission or an embassy. This often includes the associated building and the site. The building can house one or several different nations' missions. The term derives from chancery or chancellery, the office of a chancellor. Some nations title the head of foreign affairs a chancellor, and 'chancery' eventually became a common referent to the main building of an embassy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Assange</span> Australian editor and founder of WikiLeaks (born 1971)

Julian Paul Assange is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published a series of leaks from Chelsea Manning, a United States Army intelligence analyst: footage of a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, U.S. military logs from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and U.S. diplomatic cables. Assange has won multiple awards for publishing and journalism.

<i>Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority</i> Legal proceedings over extraditing Julian Assange to Sweden

Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority were the set of legal proceedings in the United Kingdom concerning the requested extradition of Julian Assange to Sweden for a "preliminary investigation" into accusations of sexual offences allegedly made in August 2010. Assange left Sweden for the UK in 27 September 2010 and a warrant for his arrest was issued in his absence the same day. He was suspected of rape of a lesser degree, unlawful coercion and multiple cases of sexual molestation. In June 2012, Assange breached bail and sought refuge at Ecuador's Embassy in London and was granted asylum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricardo Patiño</span> Ecuadorian politician

Ricardo Armando Patiño Aroca is an Ecuadorian politician who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador from 2010 until 2016, under the government of President Rafael Correa. Previously he was Minister of Finance and Minister of the Coast. He is one of the ideologists of The Citizens' Revolution who with Correa wanted to gradually introduce a democratic socialist government in Ecuador. On 4 March 2016, he was named as Defense Minister by President Correa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 is an Act of Parliament passed by the United Kingdom Parliament which allows the UK government to determine what land is considered to be diplomatic or consular premises.

Alexander Nikolaevich Barankov is a Belarusian former policeman or army captain. Barankov made claims of corruption by Belarusian police, faces Belarusian charges of bribery and fraud, and was awarded political refugee status in Ecuador on the grounds of being persecuted in Belarus. Barankov was detained in Ecuador in 2010 and 2012 while Belarusian requests for his extradition were considered by the Ecuadorian National Court of Justice (CNJ). Both requests were rejected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of Colombia, London</span> Diplomatic mission

The Embassy of Colombia in London is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Colombia in the United Kingdom. It is headed by the Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom. It is located in the Knightsbridge district in a building it shares with the Embassy of Ecuador, near Harrods, Hyde Park, and Hans Place, precisely at 3 Hans Crescent at the intersection of Basil Street, and it is serviced by Knightsbridge station.

Asylum is a British comedy series which was shown on BBC Four from 9 to 23 February 2015. The satirical comedy series revolves around a whistleblower and an internet pirate who find themselves trapped together under the threat of extradition in the London embassy of a fictional Latin American country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillaume Long</span> Ecuadorian politician

Guillaume Jean Sebastien Long is a former politician and academic who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador and Human Mobility, in the government of Rafael Correa. He was previously the Minister of Culture and Heritage, and Minister of Knowledge and Human Talent. Long later became Ecuador's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, before resigning in January 2018 over strong disagreements with President Moreno. Since 2019, Long has been working for the Washington DC-based Center for Economic and Policy Research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indictment and arrest of Julian Assange</span>

In 2012, while on bail, Julian Assange was granted political asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he sought to avoid extradition to Sweden, and what his supporters said was the possibility of subsequent extradition to the US. On 11 April 2019, Ecuador revoked his asylum, he was arrested for failing to appear in court, and carried out of the Embassy by members of the London Metropolitan Police. Following his arrest, he was charged and convicted, on 1 May 2019, of violating the Bail Act, and sentenced to fifty weeks in prison. While in prison the US revealed a previously sealed 2018 US indictment in which Assange was charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion related to his involvement with Chelsea Manning and WikiLeaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ola Bini</span> Swedish programmer and Internet activist

Ola Bini, is a Swedish programmer and Internet activist, working for the Digital Autonomy Center in Ecuador on issues of privacy, security and cryptography. He has been in Ecuador since 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Assange</span> Swedish-Spanish lawyer (born 1983)

Stella Assange is a Swedish-Spanish lawyer. Throughout her career, she has been an international advocate for human rights, most prominently in the case of her husband, Julian Assange. She changed her name first to Stella Moris in 2012 and later to Stella Moris-Smith Robertson.

Kunstler v. Central Intelligence Agency is a lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency, former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Undercover Global S.L., and David Morales Guillen filed by a group of American lawyers and journalists associated with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The lawsuit alleged that the CIA violated their constitutional rights by recording their conversations with Assange and copying their devices after suspicions were raised that Assange was working for the Russian intelligence services.

After Julian Assange was granted asylum and entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London, new CCTV cameras were installed and security personnel working for UC Global and Promsecurity recorded his daily activities and interactions with staff and visitors, including his legal team. In a 2017 email, the surveillance was explained with suspicions that Assange was "working for the Russian intelligence services." New cameras with microphones were installed in December 2017, and the installation of microphones in fire extinguishers and the women's bathroom was ordered. Other microphones were installed in decorations in the embassy. Morales arranged for the United States to have immediate access to the recordings. The embassy staff had removed the toilet in the women's bathroom in June 2012 at Assange's request so he could sleep in the quiet room, which he also used to meet with his lawyers.

Views on Julian Assange have been given by a number of public figures, including journalists, well-known whistleblowers, activists and world leaders. They range from laudatory statements to calls for his execution. Various journalists and free speech advocates have praised Assange for his work and dedication to free speech. Some former colleagues have criticised his work habits, editorial decisions and personality. After the 2016 US Presidential election, there was debate about his motives and his ties to Russia. After Assange's arrest in 2019, journalists and commenters debated whether Assange was a journalist. Assange has won multiple awards for journalism and publishing.

References

  1. 1 2 "The London Diplomatic List" (PDF). 7 December 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Misiones de Colombia en el Exterior: Reino Unido" (in Spanish). Colombia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "3 Hans Crescent". Google Maps. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  4. 1 2 John Paul Rathbone (15 August 2012). "Assuaging Assange". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Neuman, William; Ayala, Maggy (16 August 2012). "Ecuador Grants Asylum to Assange, Defying Britain". New York Times. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Julian Assange: UK issues 'threat' to arrest Wikileaks founder". BBC News. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Julian Assange: Ecuador grants Wikileaks founder asylum". BBC News Online . Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  8. 1 2 Declaración del Gobierno de la República del Ecuador sobre la solicitud de asilo de Julian Assange Archived 17 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  9. ↑ "Embassy of Ecuador in London » Important Notice: The Consulate of Ecuador in London has a new home". Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Addley, Esther; Travis, Alan (19 May 2017). "Swedish prosecutors drop Julian Assange rape investigation". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Ecuadorians rally behind Assange asylum bid". Al Jazeera. 21 August 2012.
  12. ↑ Hastings, Rob; PA (16 August 2012). "British government 'threat to enter Ecuadorian embassy and arrest Julian Assange'". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "Assange: Fighting Erupts Outside Embassy". Sky News. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Julian Assange, the balcony Bolívar of Knightsbridge". The Guardian. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  15. 1 2 "Julian Assange statement at Ecuadorean embassy - live". The Guardian. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  16. ↑ "Ecuador says Julian Assange can stay at embassy indefinitely". The Daily Telegraph. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  17. ↑ Jonathan Watts (22 August 2012). "Julian Assange sex claims not a crime in Latin America – Ecuador president". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  18. ↑ "Julian Assange claims to be soon leaving Ecuadorian embassy in London". Big News Network. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  19. ↑ Damien Pearse (24 August 2012). "Julian Assange arrest plan revealed accidentally". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  20. ↑ "Policing Assange Embassy Has Cost £6.5m". LBC News. 18 June 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Julian Assange: Costs of policing Wikileaks founder reach £10m". BBC News. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  22. ↑ Collyns, Dan; Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Harding, Luke (15 May 2018). "Revealed: Ecuador spent millions on spy operation for Julian Assange". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  23. ↑ "Ecuador says WikiLeaks claim of Assange's expulsion is false". United Press International. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  24. ↑ "Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange arrested". BBC News. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.