02:54Ecuador's Foreign Minister said his country would act "in accordance with international law" while investigating Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over allegations of leaking personal information about President Lenin Moreno, during a press briefing in Quito on Monday.
"We can carry out those investigations that we believe to be of the case, independently of those that, of course, the special rapporteur of the UN can carry out," foreign minister Jose Valencia said.
"Mr Assange knows perfectly well that he has a debt with the British authorities for the violation the terms of his conditional release in 2012. And he will have to answer for that. That is independent from any decision made by the Ecuadorian state. The decision of the Ecuadorian state will be a sovereign, independent, autonomous decision," Valencia said.
On Friday, Wikileaks claimed that Assange was due to be expelled in a matter of "hours to days."
Ecuador has denied the reports that Assange is to be expelled from its London embassy.
The Wikileaks founder first moved into the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012, in order to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations. While that investigation was dropped by the judiciary, Assange still faces charges in the UK for violating bail conditions by fleeing to the embassy, as well as the possibility of extradition to the United States for publishing sensitive government information on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ecuador: Quito reserves right to investigate Assange, says FM
Ecuador's Foreign Minister said his country would act "in accordance with international law" while investigating Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over allegations of leaking personal information about President Lenin Moreno, during a press briefing in Quito on Monday.
"We can carry out those investigations that we believe to be of the case, independently of those that, of course, the special rapporteur of the UN can carry out," foreign minister Jose Valencia said.
"Mr Assange knows perfectly well that he has a debt with the British authorities for the violation the terms of his conditional release in 2012. And he will have to answer for that. That is independent from any decision made by the Ecuadorian state. The decision of the Ecuadorian state will be a sovereign, independent, autonomous decision," Valencia said.
On Friday, Wikileaks claimed that Assange was due to be expelled in a matter of "hours to days."
Ecuador has denied the reports that Assange is to be expelled from its London embassy.
The Wikileaks founder first moved into the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012, in order to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations. While that investigation was dropped by the judiciary, Assange still faces charges in the UK for violating bail conditions by fleeing to the embassy, as well as the possibility of extradition to the United States for publishing sensitive government information on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister said his country would act "in accordance with international law" while investigating Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over allegations of leaking personal information about President Lenin Moreno, during a press briefing in Quito on Monday.
"We can carry out those investigations that we believe to be of the case, independently of those that, of course, the special rapporteur of the UN can carry out," foreign minister Jose Valencia said.
"Mr Assange knows perfectly well that he has a debt with the British authorities for the violation the terms of his conditional release in 2012. And he will have to answer for that. That is independent from any decision made by the Ecuadorian state. The decision of the Ecuadorian state will be a sovereign, independent, autonomous decision," Valencia said.
On Friday, Wikileaks claimed that Assange was due to be expelled in a matter of "hours to days."
Ecuador has denied the reports that Assange is to be expelled from its London embassy.
The Wikileaks founder first moved into the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012, in order to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations. While that investigation was dropped by the judiciary, Assange still faces charges in the UK for violating bail conditions by fleeing to the embassy, as well as the possibility of extradition to the United States for publishing sensitive government information on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.