For six years, Julian Assange has been in asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, without facing any formal accusation of a crime. There is clear evidence that he is the object of a political persecution, in retaliation for the dissemination by Wikileaks of documents that exposed war crimes and interventionist practices of governments and power groups in several countries, including the United States. These now aspire to achieve the extradition and trial of Assange, which could endanger the very life of the journalist.

Given this situation, the efforts and political will of Ecuador have been decisive, not only for giving him asylum in the Embassy in London, but also for the endeavours undertaken with multilateral bodies and the defense of the rights of the asylee in bilateral relations.

The Foro de Sao Paulo, gathered in Havana, urges the government of Ecuador to maintain its commitment to the guarantees and enforcement of human rights, as stipulated in the Opinion of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the respective report of the Nations United Organization. This aspect is key at a time when Ecuador has made public its decision to terminate Assange's stay at their Embassy in London, through a negotiation with the government of the United Kingdom to hand over the refugee.

It is essential that in any situation or scenario, any possibility of extradition to the United States be explicitly excluded, since it would mean putting Assange's life at risk and annulling the protection efforts carried out to date.

Foro de Sao Paulo[1]

Havana, July 17, 2018