Julian Assange spent years inside an embassy to dodge extradition
Facing Swedish assault allegations, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sought asylum inside Ecuador's London embassy.
The legal fight centered on Sweden's request to extradite Assange for a preliminary investigation into sexual offence accusations dating to August 2010. He had left Sweden for the United Kingdom in late September 2010, and a warrant for his arrest was issued in his absence the same day.
The suspicions included rape of a lesser degree, unlawful coercion, and multiple cases of sexual molestation. In June 2012, having breached bail, he took refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The standoff became one of the era's most unusual legal sagas.
Why it mattersThe embassy standoff turned an extradition fight into a global test of asylum, press freedom, and state power.
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