What are the dangers for Ecuador of offering political asylum to a man wanted for crimes in some of the Western world’s leading nations? This editorial from Ecuador’s Hoy warns the government in Quito not to be too hasty about letting its ideological leanings get the best of it.
The Hoy editorial says in part:
A few months ago, the government decided to use cables from WikiLeaks for its own benefit and with a very clear purpose: to further discredit the independent press and the journalists who work in it. In this way, he built closer ties with Julian Assange, who later had President Correa as one of the guests in his Internet program.
Assange’s request for asylum is now being analyzed. Considering the consequences that either option could cause this country, a decision must be discussed with responsibility and maturity. For the moment, the international reaction seems unfavorable to the request by the Australian, who is being investigated in Sweden for an ordinary crime rather than a question of a political nature: sexual assault.
The government has a sensitive issue in it hands. It should not only act out of its well-known ideological position, because the results could be counterproductive for Ecuador.
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