Ecuador cuts Julian Assange’s internet access after ‘interference’

Ecuador has announced that it has cut off Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s internet access, claiming he had breached a 2017 agreement not to interfere with the matters of other nations.

“The government of Ecuador has suspended all systems that allow Julian Assange to communicate outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London,” it said in a statement.

Ecuador did not reveal which of Assange’s recent communications was the reason for cutting off his access to the internet and social media.

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However, the BBC says the move came after Assange “questioned accusations that Moscow was responsible for the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter”.

It is not the first time the Ecuadorian government has cut Assange’s internet access. It was briefly suspended in October 2016, shortly after Wikileaks published speeches made by Hillary Clinton to Goldman Sachs, CNN says.

Assange moved into the embassy in June 2012 in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of sex crimes, which he denies.

Despite Sweden dropping the case, Assange remains in the embassy due to fears he would be extradited to the US if UK authorities arrested him for jumping bail.