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Ecuador Says It Still Backs Assange, but WikiLeaks Says It Cut His Internet Ecuador Cuts Internet of Julian Assange, WikiLeaks’ Founder
(about 9 hours later)
LONDON — The strange tale of Julian Assange and Ecuador became a little odder on Tuesday, as the Ecuadorean government restated its commitment to providing Mr. Assange political asylum at its embassy in London but refused to even acknowledge a charge by WikiLeaks that it had cut off his access to the internet. LONDON — Ecuador announced on Tuesday that it had cut off Julian Assange’s access to the internet in his exile in the country’s embassy in London, making it clear that it feared the tiny country was being sucked into an effort to “interfere in electoral processes” in the United States by the activities of the founder of WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks, founded by Mr. Assange and known for its frequent release of confidential information about governments as well as private organizations and individuals, said on Twitter on Monday that Ecuador had severed Mr. Assange’s internet access Saturday afternoon. The announcement came a day after WikiLeaks said that Mr. Assange’s connection to the internet had been severed shortly after the organization published speeches that Hillary Clinton gave to Goldman Sachs, the global investment firm. The transcripts, the latest in a series of disclosures, appear to have come from the hacked email account of John Podesta, the chairman of her campaign and a White House chief of staff when Mrs. Clinton’s husband served as president.
Mr. Assange, who sought refuge in the embassy four years ago and is wanted for questioning by the Swedish authorities, lost internet access shortly after WikiLeaks published information about speeches that Hillary Clinton gave to Goldman Sachs, his organization said. The statement clearly sought to separate Ecuador from the decision by WikiLeaks to publish Mr. Podesta’s emails and, before those, emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee and other organizations. In recent weeks, Mr. Assange, once the hero of the American left for exposing classified State Department and Pentagon documents, has been hailed by Donald J. Trump and his advisers for disclosures from Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, which Mr. Trump has used almost daily to fuel his attacks on the former secretary of state.
Mr. Assange and WikiLeaks have recently posted emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee and from John D. Podesta, a senior official in Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign, some of which have been highly embarrassing to the Democrats. WikiLeaks published more hacked emails from Mr. Podesta on Monday. American intelligence agencies have said that the D.N.C. hack was the work of the Russian government, and had to be approved at the highest levels of the Kremlin. But it is unclear how the documents made it to WikiLeaks, which has never said where the emails came from, if it knows.
Although Mr. Assange has said that he did not know the source of the WikiLeaks material, the United States government has suggested that the hacking was the work of Russia and that it was intended to help Mrs. Clinton’s opponent, Donald J. Trump. Only hours before the Ecuador’s announcement, WikiLeaks had charged that Secretary of State John Kerry had quietly urged the Ecuadorean government, in a meeting late last month, to stop Mr. Assange from publishing the emails or interfering in the election. The State Department issued a statement declaring that the reports were “simply untrue. Period.”
On Tuesday, WikiLeaks accused Secretary of State John Kerry of pressuring Ecuador in September to cut off Mr. Assange’s access to the internet to stop him from publishing further leaked documents from the Democrats. The group said that Mr. Kerry made the request on Sept. 26 during a private meeting on the sidelines of negotiations seeking peace in Colombia. Ecuador said that it was not evicting Mr. Assange from its embassy, where he sought asylum in 2012. It said that its “temporary restriction” of internet services to Mr. Assange “does not prevent the WikiLeaks organization from carrying out is journalistic activities.”
The State Department immediately denied the accusation. “While our concerns about WikiLeaks are longstanding, any suggestion that Secretary Kerry or the State Department were involved in shutting down WikiLeaks is false,” the department’s chief spokesman, John Kirby, said in a statement. “Reports that Secretary Kerry had conversations with Ecuadorean officials about this are simply untrue. Period.” But it was clearly intended to keep the Ecuadorean Embassy from being the control center for that leaking operation. “The Government of Ecuador respects the principle of nonintervention in the affairs of other countries,” it said, “and it does not interfere in the electoral processes in support of any candidate in particular.”
As a result, the statement continue, the government “has temporarily restricted access to part of its communications system in its embassy in the U.K.”
None of this action, experts inside and outside the United States government say, is likely to slow the flow of leaked emails. Those emails are routed through servers around the globe, and if the United States wanted to shut them down covertly, that presumably would have happened years ago.
In fact, American officials have said, turning off the flow of WikiLeaks data is a legally complicated issue, especially if American citizens or American-based firms are involved. The Obama administration, they say, does not want to be charged with suppressing unwelcome speech — in the manner of the Russians and the Chinese.
Efforts to reach WikiLeaks on Tuesday were unsuccessful. A sometimes spokesman, Kristinn Hrafnsson, did not return messages, and a telephone message and email message to Sunshine Press, which represents Mr. Assange, were also unanswered.
Mr. Assange has insisted that he does not know the source of the WikiLeaks material, though he has made no secret of his distaste for Mrs. Clinton. The United States government has said that much of the hacking was the work of Russian intelligence, and was part of a broad effort to influence the election. So far, the White House has not announced how it will respond, though several options have been discussed with President Obama, according to administration officials.
On Sunday, in a taped interview broadcast on Meet the Press, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., in what was either a warning or an effort at psychological warfare, said “we’re sending a message” to the Russians “at a time and place of our choosing” and that President Vladimir V. Putin will “know it” when the message arrives. That seemed to suggest some kind of covert action, perhaps a cyberstrike, in retaliation for what the American intelligence community has described as a broad and unprecedented effort by a foreign power to influence American voters.
It is possible that Ecuador feared that, because of its decision to give exile to Mr. Assange, it risked becoming a witting or unwitting participant in an effort at voter manipulation.
The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, is a man of the left, and he recently told the Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT that he would support Mrs. Clinton.The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, is a man of the left, and he recently told the Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT that he would support Mrs. Clinton.
At the same time, he suggested in the RT interview that a victory by Mr. Trump, who has made no secret of his admiration for the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, would be good for Latin America because it would, paradoxically, bolster left-wing parties. At the same time, he suggested in the RT interview that a victory by Mr. Trump, who has made no secret of his admiration for Mr. Putin, would be good for Latin America because it would, paradoxically, bolster left-wing parties.
“I sincerely believe that it would be better for Latin America if Trump won,” Mr. Correa said. “When did progressive governments come to power in Latin America? During the Bush administration. His primitive policies were rejected so much that it caused reaction in Latin America. Trump would do the same.”“I sincerely believe that it would be better for Latin America if Trump won,” Mr. Correa said. “When did progressive governments come to power in Latin America? During the Bush administration. His primitive policies were rejected so much that it caused reaction in Latin America. Trump would do the same.”
Questions to the Ecuadorean Embassy on Tuesday were met with a polite reference to the mission’s website and to a brief statement. Questions to the Ecuadorean Embassy on Tuesday were met with a reference to the mission’s website and a brief statement.
“In view of recent speculations, the government of Ecuador reaffirms the validity of the asylum granted four years ago to Julian Assange,” the statement said. “We also ratify that the protection given by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain.”“In view of recent speculations, the government of Ecuador reaffirms the validity of the asylum granted four years ago to Julian Assange,” the statement said. “We also ratify that the protection given by the Ecuadorean state will continue while the circumstances that led to the granting of asylum remain.”
There was no mention of internet access.
Mr. Assange is the subject of an arrest warrant in Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual abuse dating to 2010, to decide whether or not to bring charges.Mr. Assange is the subject of an arrest warrant in Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual abuse dating to 2010, to decide whether or not to bring charges.
Mr. Assange, saying that he feared extradition to the United States on espionage charges stemming from the publication by WikiLeaks of secret documents given to the website by Chelsea Manning, broke bail and took refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in June 2012. He has been in the tiny embassy since. Mr. Assange, saying that he feared extradition to the United States on espionage charges stemming from the publication by WikiLeaks of secret documents given to the website by the former Army analyst Chelsea Manning, broke bail and took refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in June 2012. He has been in the tiny embassy since.
Given the statute of limitations, the one allegation Mr. Assange still faces in Sweden is one of rape. He is wanted for questioning but has not been charged.Given the statute of limitations, the one allegation Mr. Assange still faces in Sweden is one of rape. He is wanted for questioning but has not been charged.
After long negotiations, he was scheduled to be questioned on Monday by Swedish prosecutors in the presence of an Ecuadorean prosecutor. But Ecuador, at Mr. Assange’s request, postponed that session until Nov. 14, after the American presidential election. After long negotiations, he was scheduled to be questioned on Monday by Swedish prosecutors in the presence of an Ecuadorean prosecutor. But Ecuador, at Mr. Assange’s request, postponed that session until Nov. 14, after the American presidential election.
There is no public indictment in the United States of Mr. Assange; if Sweden chooses not to press charges, he would presumably be free to leave the embassy. There is no public indictment in the United States of Mr. Assange; if Sweden chose not to press charges, he would presumably be free to leave the Embassy.
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