by teleSUR
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has received a visit from one of his most prominent supporters.
U.S. academic and political dissident Noam Chomsky visited Wikileaks founder Julian Assange Tuesday, despite an ongoing police presence outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Today, Noam Chomsky is due to make his way past UK police to talk with Julian Assange at the embassy. Background: http://t.co/VtLbf88gfK
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 25, 2014
The two made a brief appearance on the embassy balcony. According to Wikileaks, Assange and Chomsky went on the balcony to “take in the view of the police operation against the Ecuadorian embassy.”
Noam #Chomsky on #Assange, Sweden & the “hypocrisy” of receiving asylum from Ecuador (archive) http://t.co/exXML4zm4L pic.twitter.com/VLkxftacJK
— M (@m_cetera) November 25, 2014
The embassy has been encircled by a 24-hour police presence for two years. Assange has been trapped in the embassy since 2012, when he applied for asylum.
Ecuador subsequently granted him asylum. However, the U.K. government has refused to allow him safe passage to Ecuador, arguing British authorities are obliged to extradite him to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning in relation to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Assange claims if he is sent to Sweden, he would face a serious risk of extradition to the United States, where he fears he would face charges in relation to the disclosure of classified government documents.
Chomsky, a world reknowned linguist and analyst of global affairs, has previously expressed support for Assange.
“Someone who courageously carries out actions in defense of democratic rights deserves applause, not hysterical denunciation and punishment,” Chomsky once stated regarding Assange.
For more on Assange, check out teleSUR English’s interview with the Wikileaks founder.
(Reuters, AFP, Wikileaks)