France Says 'Non' to Julian Assange's Asylum Bid Three Years After he Sought Refuge in Ecuador Embassy in London, Saying 'He is in no danger'
- Assange wrote letter appealing to France as 'beacon of the repressed'
- French President Francois Hollande said Assange's life not in danger
- Wikileaks founder has spent three years in Ecuadorian Embassy, London
Daily Mail UK, 3 July 2015
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been refused asylum in France as his life is not in 'immediate danger'.
Assange wrote a letter to Francois Hollande, appealing to France's history as a beacon for the repressed.
But his request was quickly declined by the French President's office, which also cited the European arrest warrant against Assange.
Failed bid: Julian Assange giving a thumbs up prior to delivering a statement on the balcony inside the Ecuador Embassy, where he has sought political asylum in London, pictured in August 2012, has been turned down by French officials
'France has received the letter from Mr. Assange. An in-depth review shows that in view of the legal and material elements of Mr Assange's situation, France cannot grant his request,' a statement by President Francois Hollande's office said.
'The situation of Mr. Assange does not present any immediate danger. He is also the target of a European arrest mandate,' it noted.
In Assange's open letter, he noted that WikiLeaks recently revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency spied on Hollande and his two predecessors, in the piece published in Le Monde.
The exchange came after prominent French voices, including soccer legend Eric Cantona and economist Thomas Piketty, appealed for France to grant Assange haven.
Assange marked three years last month since he sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London.
He faces immediate arrest on a European arrest warrant issued by the Swedish authorities if he steps outside the building.
'Non': French President Francois Hollande turned down the Wikileaks founder's bid for asylum
Julian Assange faces immediate arrest on a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Swedish authorities if he steps outside the building
The bill for stopping him escape justice has now topped £11million with a team of up to three police officers at a time - nine a day in total - monitoring the property 24 hours a day after Government ministers insisted the law must be upheld.
Police say the £11.1million bill is made up of £6.5million in 'opportunity costs', that is paying officers who could be catching criminals.
A further £2.7million was spent on 'additional costs', such as overtime, and £1.9million was spent on 'indirect costs'.
Assange, 43, has been granted asylum by the government of Ecuador but cannot travel to the country because he will be arrested first.
The Australian wants to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over claims he sexually assaulted two women in Stockholm, something he denies.
The outspoken former computer hacker believes he will be forced to go to the US and be quizzed over information published by WikiLeaks.