Radical Transparency 1, Britain 0: Assange Granted Asylum

Techno-anarchist Julian Assange has been granted asylum by Ecuador, guaranteeing his bleak safety in their dark UK embasssy against British authorities who are salivating to extradite the Wikileaks editor to Sweden where he faces charges of sexual assault. Despite threats to be raided by British authorities, Ecuador remained defiant in their defense, which has caused it to become the epicenter of a political carnival outside their humble embassy. “We remind the public that these extraordinary actions are being taken to detain a man who has not been charged with any crime in any country,” they said in a  statement. “We further urge the U.K. government to show restraint, and to consider the dire ramifications of any violation of the elementary norms of international law.”

Being public enemy number 1 has its downsides: Assange is held up in the back of the embassy as security guards eagerly wait to arrest him as soon as he steps foot outside the legal boundary between Ecuador and the UK. “He can’t get outside to see the sun,” said his mother, Christine Assange, in a heartwarming interview that shows mothers will be mothers, whether it be in the face of a teenage breakup or an international political standoff , “I’m worried about his health, as I would be for anybody who is having to stay indoors and not get exercise and have sunlight.”

Wikileaks has faced serious setbacks, losing top employees and its ability to easily collect donations. The latter is especially important, as Assange claims he needs a whopping $3.5 million to run the site. Other media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, have attempted to build their own leak sites, with little success.

To some, Assange is a hero of transparency who helped spark the Arab Spring, a string of Middle-East revolutions resulting in political coups in Tunisia, Egypt, Lybia and Yemen. Famed hacker contingent, Anonymous tweeted:

To others, he’s a vigilante undermining diplomatic efforts and endangering covert intelligence sources. Whatever your position on Wikileaks, today’s ruling is a step towards a more open world. Radical transparency 1, Britain 0.