Correa wants Moreno impeached for ‘treason’ for turning Julian Assange over to British authorities

Ecuador’s ex-president Rafael Correa told Sputnik on Thursday he would impeach his successor for betraying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the nation.

Former president Rafael Correa

The Australian whistleblower was arrested by British police inside the Ecuadorian embassy in 2019 after Lenin Moreno withdrew his asylum, a status granted to him by Correa in 2012. Assange is fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces up to 175 years in prison on spying charges.

“What happened to Assange was disgraceful. We humiliated Ecuador at the international level. That is why Moreno must be prosecuted for treason,” Correa said.

He said Assange’s arrest was the first time in the history of the Andean nation when the government allowed British forces to enter the national territory. He promised that Moreno would answer for this “barbaric” act.

Correa returned to politics last year, founding a leftist Union for Hope (UNES). Its candidate Andres Arauz is leading the presidential race and will face Guayaquil banker Guemo Lasso in an April 11 runoff election.

Ironically, the former president who seeks what he considers justice for the current president is a fugitive who will be arrested if he attempts to reenter Ecuador. Correa was convicted in a political extorsion scheme last year and sentenced to eight years in prison.