Ecuador’s president: ‘The road is clear’ for Assange to leave embassy

Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno on Thursday said “the road is clear” for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to leave his country’s embassy in London, saying he has been assured Assange would not face extradition to faces charges abroad.

The United Kingdom and Ecuador have been quietly discussing Assange’s eventual departure from the embassy for months, The Associated Press reported. 

{mosads}”The road is clear for Mr. Assange to take the decision to leave,” Moreno said during a radio show on Thursday, referencing a written assurance he had received from Britain, according to the AP. 

Moreno added that Ecuador does not plan to force Assange out of the embassy, where he has been living since 2012.

Assange fled to the embassy when British courts ordered he be extradited to Sweden to be questioned in a sexual assault case, which has since been dropped.

WikiLeaks faces a U.S. grand jury investigation for publishing U.S. diplomatic and classified military information under Assange’s leadership, and Assange has said that he is facing charges in the U.S.

The Department of Justice last month inadvertently revealed in an unsealed court filing that they have prepared charges against Assange, according to The Washington Post. The charges were disclosed in a filing in an unrelated case. 

Assange in October said that he believes the Ecuadorean government is preparing to end his asylum at its embassy in London and hand him over the U.S. He made the claim after Ecuador announced new embassy rules for him, which include paying for his medical bills and phone calls, staying away from commenting on controversial topics and cleaning up after his pet cat.