Julian Assange: the balcony defence (Guardian editorial)

[JDPriestly]

53. If it were really about the rape charge, Sweden would question Assange in the

Ecuadorian Embassy. The whole thing would have been decided without Assange's extradition -- or the charges against Assange would have been clarified so that whether Assange should or should not face charges would be evident.

Like it or not, Assange has been granted asylum in the Embassy of Ecuador. That is the way it is.

I'm sure the Hungarians were not happy with the fact that Cardinal Mindszenty was in the US Embassy in Hungary for 15 years.

Recently, the Chinese were not happy with the fact that Chen Guangcheng was granted the right to come to the US after seeking asylum and staying in the US Embassy in China.

But that is the way things work in international law.

Sweden can try to extradite Assange from Ecuador. That's the solution.

Apparently Ecuador believes that Assange is being pursued for publishing Wikileaks. I assume that Ecuador saw the evidence the Swedish prosecutor and court want to bring against Assange. If the government of Ecuador is satisfied that this is a political matter, that's all that counts.