London Police End 24-Hour Watch at Embassy Housing Julian Assange
By DAN BILEFSKY
LONDON — Citing the strain on resources, the London police said on Monday that they were ending their round-the-clock monitoring of the Ecuadorean Embassy here, where Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, has been holed up since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.
In a diplomatic and legal battle of wills, Mr. Assange, who faces an accusation of rape in Sweden and an order that he be extradited there to face questioning, sought asylum at the embassy. He has refused to go to Sweden, saying that he fears he could then be extradited to the United States to face prosecution related to the publication of leaked State Department diplomatic cables. Mr. Assange, a native of Australia, has strenuously denied the rape allegations, originally made in 2010, and no formal charges have been filed against him.
The police have been keeping a 24-hour watch outside the embassy, in the exclusive Knightsbridge district, poised to arrest Mr. Assange if he tried to leave. (Diplomatic protocol prevents them from entering the building.)
The constant surveillance had, as of the end of April, cost British taxpayers 11.1 million pounds, or $17 million, according to the police. It has also prompted an outcry by local politicians, who have called the operation a misuse of public resources, even as government officials have said that Britain has a legal duty to enforce the extradition request by the Swedish authorities.
The Metropolitan Police Service in London, also known as Scotland Yard, said on Monday that while it remained committed to executing the arrest warrant, “it is no longer proportionate to commit officers to a permanent presence.”
The police said the decision “has not been taken lightly.” It was made, they said, only after consultation with the Home Office, which is responsible for Britain’s internal security, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
“A significant amount of time has passed since Julian Assange entered the embassy, and despite the efforts of many people there is no imminent prospect of a diplomatic or legal resolution to this issue,” the police service said.
“The M.P.S. has to balance the interests of justice in this case with the ongoing risks to the safety of Londoners and all those we protect, investigating crime and arresting offenders wanted for serious offenses, in deciding what a proportionate response is.”
The British news media has reported that the Ecuadorean Embassy has considered different plots to help Mr. Assange escape, including smuggling him out in a disguise, having him leap across rooftops to get to a nearby helipad, or having him escape and then camouflage himself among the throngs of shoppers at the nearby Harrods department store.
Citing documents leaked from the embassy, news reports have also suggested that he could be whisked into a car or be smuggled out of the embassy in a bag. Another idea apparently circulating was that he would be appointed as Ecuador’s official representative to the United Nations, under the assumption that he could travel to Ecuador by invoking diplomatic immunity.
In October, Swedish prosecutors dropped several cases against Mr. Assange of lesser sexual misconduct, saying that the time allowed under Swedish law to pursue the cases had expired. Under Swedish law, the rape allegation can be pursued until August 2020.
英警方省人力 棄守監控維基解密創辦人亞桑奇
英國警方12日宣布取消在倫敦的厄多瓜大使館外、針對藏身於大使館的維基解密創辦人亞桑奇的24小時警力監控，媒體估計，過去三年多英國為監控亞桑奇已花費超過1200萬英鎊。
厄瓜多與瑞典已洽商就亞桑奇案進行司法合作協議，最快可望在今年聖誕節前有結果。
亞桑奇自2012年向倫敦的厄多瓜大使館申請庇護後，三年多來幾乎都待在大使館內，倫敦警方則是派員24小時在大使館外監控，準備亞桑奇一離開大使館就予以逮捕；12日倫敦警方宣布，警力資源有限，繼續派員在厄瓜多大使館外全天候監控已不再適當。
不過，警方同時表示，一旦亞桑奇離開厄瓜多大使館，警方仍會盡全力逮捕。維基解密發言人拉芬森向媒體表示，對亞桑奇而言，情勢並沒有太大改變，並稱英國只要保證亞桑奇被引渡到瑞典後，不會被引渡到美國就可解決這些問題。
媒體報導，過去三年多來，警方除每天加派至少三班警力輪值、更加裝許多監視錄影機，估計已花了超過1200萬英鎊。
原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/world/europe/london-police-end-24-hour-watch-at-embassy-housing-julian-assange.html
2015-10-13．聯合晚報．A6．國際焦點．布魯塞爾記者蕭白雪
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