A decision on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s request for asylum in Ecuador is expected this week. Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa was reported to be holding a final round of consultations with his advisers.
“Hopefully this week we will be able to make a statement on the matter,” he told his country’s public broadcaster ECTV.
Mr. Assange remained holed up at Ecuador’s London embassy where he sought refuge two months ago to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of sexual assault. If he comes out, he faces arrest for breaking his bail conditions.
Last month, Ecuador indicated that it would allow the Swedish authorities to interview Mr. Assange at the embassy.
A Wikileaks spokesman said Mr. Assange was always willing to be interviewed in London. He fears that if extradited to Sweden he could be handed to the American government which wants to prosecute him for publishing secret official documents.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks was on Tuesday back online after being disrupted by cyber-attacks for more than a week. It said a group calling itself Anti Leaks had claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Wikileaks Press, which publishes news about the website, claimed that the attacks started shortly after WikiLeaks leaked emails about surveillance by software company Trapwire.
The emails were obtained after the website of a U.S.-based intelligence company Stratfor was hacked and related to U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
“Attacks on #Wikileaks are not only intended to prevent secrets from being revealed, but also to maintain a monopoly on influence,” WikiLeaks tweeted.
