Hacking Justice

We were at the embassy racking our brains...

Julian was sitting here and he didn't have political asylum yet.

There was no bridge,

no way to get the British lawyers,

who were paralyzed and scared,

to talk to the Ecuadorian diplomats to discuss this politically.

Because asylum is political.

And we started with a small list of people

who could make that connection.

When Mr. Assange asked you to be the director of his legal defense,

you accepted. Why?

I accepted.

And I accepted pro bono because I believe

that this man has been made a scapegoat

at a certain point,

because he dared to reveal

what has later been seen as a practice,

in many areas criminal,

illicit and immoral in most,

of a way of doing politics that in a democracy is unacceptable.

We don't forget!

We want Justice!

Garzón our friend! The people is on your side!

They installed this camera shortly after Julian came

to the Ecuadorian embassy to apply for political asylum.

There's another camera over there.

This place is crawling with cameras!

This country has the most cameras in the world.

There is no possibility of escape.

I think they are trying to make a show. I told you

If you don't do what we have organised so far.

But you never tell the cops you want to make a show.

You tell them that is for real.

So what's the plan?

Keep monitoring, keep everything

no change.

...the personal Integrity.

Six. That legal documents show that an extradition to the USA...

he could be court-martialled.

The government of Ecuador, faithful to its tradition of protecting

those who seek refuge on its territory

or on the premises of its various diplomatic missions,

has decided to grant diplomatic asylum...

to the citizen Julian Assange.

I spoke with Julian Assange,

his fighting spirit is strong.

He thanks the people of Ecuador

and especially President Correa for granting him asylum.

From my point of view,

the UK should have respected the right to asylum.

But the situation is complex,

because the Supreme Court decided this extradition.

And then the government says: "Look, this was a judicial decision."

But, of course, the right to asylum cannot be disregarded.

So the question is:

Which of the two positions should be given priority?

The human right to political asylum,

which, once granted, is no longer debatable,

or judicial cooperation with Sweden?

It is clear to us that the two are perfectly compatible.

It is possible to grant asylum in Ecuador.

Ecuador assumes that Julian Assange will have to answer

to the Swedish justice system somewhere.

But at the same time, Ecuador also needs to protect Julian Assange,

and that's why the country has granted him political asylum.

So let's find a solution for that!

The only one who cannot do anything is Julian Assange himself,

because he cannot be asked to waive his right.

To give a statement by rogatory commission

from the embassy of Ecuador in London

is a possibility to advance in the procedure

and the Swedish prosecutor has refused.

The Swedish prosecutor's office has refused to do so. Why?

We do not understand,

when practically every day that is the norm

in judicial cooperation between different countries.

In this case, we want to express that we would have acted

in the same way if the suspect of the crime had been Swedish,

we must highlight the fact that we have not treated

this case in a different way to any other.

When Snowden leaves, the diplomatic doors close

in the United Kingdom.

This made further talks and negotiations impossible.

In other words,

the price of Snowden's freedom was Julian's freedom.

Two years ago, the government of Ecuador

evaluated all the evidence that Julian Assange

was suffering from some kind of political persecution

due to his activities as a journalist and broadcaster.

A lot has happened in these two years.

But, unfortunately, nothing has changed

in the negative attitude of the Swedish prosecutor's office

towards a cooperation already offered by Ecuador at the beginning...

Two lost years for all sides.

We need to focus on the issue of deprivation of liberty.

This is the situation Julian Assange has been in

since he arrived at the embassy.

That is the main issue,

the warhorse that the Swedes do not accept.

And that is the heart of the matter.

That is to insist.

Insist that we are in a kind of pre-trial detention,

without any rights that normally come with it.

On the contrary,

there are quite a few shortcomings

and restrictions that seriously affect

the health and stability of this man.

If we achieve that not only on the legal level,

but also on the international level, and at the UN

it is considered that this is an arbitrary arrest

then that would be a very important turning point for the Swedes.

Mr. President, the humanitarian situation

of a particular person wanted by the Swedish authorities

must be taken into account and his rights must be protected.

Argentina recommends that Sweden take concrete steps

to provide non-extradition guarantees

to a specific person under the control of the authorities

if that person is recognized as a refugee in a third country.

To expedite the mechanisms for international cooperation

to ensure a timely process.

This is especially true when the person concerned

is to be protected by an asylum decision or refugee status.

The thing they answered Argentina, is this:

"Don't tell us about a political asylum

that is none of our business and that we don't recognize."

This is at the same time an answer to Ecuador

and to their own Asylum situation, to which there is nothing to negotiate.

- That is very clear. - There is nothing to negotiate.

That would be the conclusion.

The embassy is quite a difficult environment.

The apartment is quite stuffy.

There is no greenery, no light. It's in a dark corner of London.

The building is in a narrow alley. It's hard.

There you have the feeling of being isolated in a bubble.

But a bubble that has unwanted eyes.

I ask myself every time: What do I bring him?

If I were locked up, what would I miss the most?

What I would miss the most would be going to crazy places,

meeting interesting people and trying different things.

Interesting people can come to the Embassy

and in fact there are always people visiting.

And food, original food? That can be done.

Original stuff!

Original stuff?

No, ham. Fine ham.

- Original stuff? Where do you come from?

From Guatemala.

-This cheese is soft as you can see.

Good afternoon, how are you?

Thank you for everything from Chile.

We do hope that Assange will be released...

Look: "Thank you very much, Baltasar Garzón."

Memories, memories...

Thank you very much for being here.

He should be released. We'll keep fighting...

Would you like to take this as a souvenir?

Baltasar is a hacker, a hacker of a different type:

he discovered the hack into the laws of human rights