Assange's appeal to Ecuador is no surprise

Assange's appeal to Ecuador is no surprise
The WikiLeak's founder won admiration and gratitude in the South American nation back in 2010.
Richard Gizbert Last Modified: 21 Jun 2012 08:36

... Why Ecuador?

Anti-American sentiments run high there. In April last year, Ecuador announced that it was expelling US ambassador Heather Hodges, over claims she made in diplomatic cables of widespread corruption within the Ecuadorean police force. The cables were written with the frankness that comes when the author believes their work is confidential. But they were released to the world via Wikileaks ...

In mid-2011, I attended a WikiLeaks event at the stately manor house where Assange was under house arrest. Many people spoke that day, but I remember one in particular.

He was Ecuadorean, an official at the embassy in London. Of Assange, he said something along the lines of: "We Ecuadoreans always knew Washington did not approve of our president, the same way it does not approve of Hugo Chavez or other leftist leaders in Latin America. But we never knew the extent of American animosity or interference in our country's affairs. WikiLeaks and the almost 1,500 diplomatic cables originating for the US embassy in Ecuador changed all that. They made the murky world of diplomacy crystal clear. Our country will always be grateful to Julian Assange. That is why I am here today, to support him and his organization" ...

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/06/2012620183512807718.html