- Title: FRANCE-ASSANGE France rejects asylum request by Wikileaks founder Assange
- Date: 3rd July 2015
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 3, 2015) (REUTERS) FRONT PAGE OF "LE MONDE" NEWSPAPER CARRYING STORY ABOUT WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE'S ASYLUM REQUEST HEADLINE READING (French): "WIKILEAKS: ASSANGE REQUESTS ASYLUM FROM FRANCE" FRONT PAGE STORY ABOUT ASSANGE'S ASYLUM REQUEST INSIDE NEWSPAPER STATEMENT ISSUED BY FRENCH PRESIDENCY SAYING IT REJECTED ASSANGE'S ASYLUM REQUEST
- Embargoed: 18th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAA2R3O02MRVFC31JT3YOITEZQA
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: France swiftly rejected on Friday (July 3) a request for asylum by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The founder of the transparency website had appealed directly to President Francois Hollande, days after WikiLeaks published documents showing the United States had spied on successive French leaders, including Hollande himself.
"My life is in danger," Assange wrote in a letter to the Socialist president which was published by Le Monde newspaper.
Less than an hour after his letter was published by Le Monde's website, Hollande's office issued a statement saying the asylum request was rejected.
Assange has been living for the past three years in Ecuador's London embassy, where he took refuge to avoid extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes.
He fears Sweden could then extradite him to the United States, where he could be put on trial over WikiLeaks' publication of vast numbers of classified documents. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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