Julian Assange To Finally Leave Ecuadorian Embassy

Julian Assange, America's favourite webmaster, has announced that he plans to leave the safety of the Ecuadorian Embassy 'soon'. Speaking at a press conference, after Sky News had revealed that Assange may turn himself over to Swedish authorities to face rape charges, Assange agreed that "I will be leaving the embassy soon- but perhaps not for the reasons the Murdoch Press and Sky News are saying at the moment."

According to the Huffington Post,

"Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said he would leave "when the circumstances are right" but said his departure was "not imminent" and denied he would hand himself into police.

He added: "(Assange) is ready to leave at any moment as soon as the ridiculous siege outside will stop and he is offered safe passage.”

Hrafnsson made clear the rumours of Assange's imminent departure were not true.

"The world is not coming to an end," he told reporters inside the embassy. "The plan, as always, is to leave as soon as the UK Government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements."

When Assange leaves, he faces the very real liklihood of being extridited to the US to face a tribunal for his role in publishing – via Wikileaks –  a wealth of America's state secrets, including the 2013 revelations from Edward Snowdon about the mass surveillence projects the US runs. He is reportedly suffering the ill effects of spending two years under house arrest, dealing with a heart defect, a lack of vitamin D and a chronic lung condition after 26 months of confinement. More on the story over here