Ecuador: Assange to be questioned in London embassy

LONDON — Ecuador says a date for Swedish prosecutors to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its embassy in the British capital will be set “in the coming weeks.”

The development is a possible breakthrough in an impasse that has seen Assange holed up in Ecuador's embassy for more than four years.

Assange sought political asylum at the embassy in June 2012 after he was accused of involvement in a suspected rape case in Sweden, an allegation he denies. He fears that if he is extradited to Sweden he will then be sent to the United States for prosecution over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of diplomatic letters.

The U.S. Justice Department has said it is considering charging him with espionage in relation to the documents.

Last year, Ecuador said it agreed to a Swedish proposal to interview Assange at the embassy and in a statement Wednesday,  the government said that a date for Assange to be questioned would soon be set.

“It means that a questioning can make the case go forward. This is decisive to be able to take a decision whether to formally charge him or not,” Swedish Prosecution Authority spokeswoman Karin Rosander told the Associated Press.

Assange’s defense team said it welcomed the development, which it said “comes after six years of complete inaction on the part of the Swedish prosecutor,” the AP reported.

In February, a United Nations panel said that Assange was arbitrarily detained by British and Swedish authorities since his arrest in 2010 and should be allowed to leave the embassy without facing arrest. British police have said he would immediately be arrested and face extradition if he steps outside.

Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said the procedures to be followed did not affect the U.N. group's conclusions.

"The Foreign Ministry of Ecuador reiterates its commitment to the asylum granted to Australian citizen Julian Assange in August 2012, and reaffirms that the protection of the Ecuadorian state shall continue while the circumstances persist that led to the granting of asylum, namely fears of political persecution,” it said.