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Ecuador orders withdrawal of extra security for Assange at London embassy

Friday, 18 May 2018 8:45 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 18 May 2018 8:48 AM ]

File photo of the Ecuadorian embassy in London

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has ordered the removal of additional security arrangements set up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being kept.

"The President of the Republic, Lenin Moreno, has ordered that any additional security at the Ecuadorian embassy in London be withdrawn immediately," the government said in a statement on Thursday.

"From now on, it will maintain normal security similar to that of other Ecuadorian embassies," the statement said.

Assange, who has sought political asylum from Ecuador, has remained in the embassy for almost six years.

The Australian took refuge in the small diplomatic headquarters in 2012 to avoid sexual abuse charges in Sweden, which he has called trumped up.

While prosecutors have abandoned their investigation, British authorities are still seeking his arrest.

PressTV-Ecuador's UK embassy hits Assange with new bans

Reports say the Ecuadorean embassy in London imposes new bans on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Meanwhile, Ecuador's government has limited Assange's communication and news access after claiming it had spent millions of dollars on hiring security personnel to protect and support Assange.

Moreno has described Assange's situation as "a stone in his shoe."

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