Assange denies seeking asylum in France

The defence team for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied he sought asylum in France after the Elysee Palace said it had declined such a request.

Julian Assange

Julian Assange (AAP) Source: AAP

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has not filed any request for asylum in France, his legal defence team says, following a statement from the Elysee Palace that such a request had been declined.

Defence team director Baltasar Garzon said in a statement on Friday that an open letter written by Assange to French President Francois Hollande had only expressed his willingness "to be hosted in France if and only if an initiative was taken by the competent authorities".

Earlier the Elysee Palace said in a statement it could not "act on the request", adding that Assange was not in immediate danger and there was a European arrest warrant out on him.

The Australian hacker has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 19, 2012.


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world