America
France rejects asylum request of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Paris , July 3
France on Friday rejected a
request for asylum, or more exactly of "protection", made by WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange in a letter to French President Francois
Hollande, according to a statement from Elysee Palace.
"France
has received the letter from Mr. Assange. After a thorough examination
of the legal elements and the material situation of Mr. Assange, France
cannot act on his request," said the French presidency in a statement.
"The
situation of Mr. Assange poses no immediate danger. It is also the
subject of a European arrest warrant," the document concluded.
In
a six-page letter sent on Thursday to Francois Hollande, Assange asked
France to grant him political asylum, Xinhua news agency reported.
In
his letter, the founder of WikiLeaks asked France to "provide the
necessary protection against, and only against the political persecution
that (he is) now the subject", saying that "only France (could) provide
(him) the necessary protectionâ€. "
Assange, 44, has been reportedly living for three years in the Ecuador embassy in London as a refugee.
French
newspaper Le Monde said what "prevented Mr. Assange to leave the
embassy" was his failure to present himself before the Swedish court
that wishes "to hear as a witness" after "complaints in Sweden by two
women, who accused him of rape and sexual assault". It is for this
reason that Assange is the subject of a European arrest warrant.