Assange denied asylum in France
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has failed in a bid to win asylum in France.
In a letter to French President Francois Hollande published in Le Monde on Friday, Mr Assange appealed to France’s history as a beacon for the repressed. He noted that WikiLeaks recently revealed that the US National Security Agency spied on Mr Hollande and his two predecessors.
Mr Hollande quickly said “no” to the request. In a statement, his office noted that Mr Assange is under a European arrest warrant and his life is not in imminent danger.
The exchange came after prominent French voices, including ex-footballer Eric Cantona and economist Thomas Piketty, appealed for France to grant Mr Assange haven.
He has taken refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning about alleged sex assaults.
