Officials to search Julian Assange's belongings

Julian Assange’s father has hit out at the Ecuadorean government for accepting a United States request for the Wikileaks founder’s documents.

Julian Assange’s father has hit out at the Ecuadorean government for accepting a United States request for the Wikileaks founder’s documents.

Ecuadorean officials were planning to go through documents and computers that Assange left in the country’s London embassy.

Assange’s father John Shipton, from Victoria, said he was disappointed that the documents would be handed to the United States, who want to extradite him for leaking classified government documents.

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Officials are planning to go through the documents Julian Assange left in the embassy. Picture: AFP

“I don’t know under what law the Ecuadorians pass Julian’s documents to any third party let alone the United States,” he said.

“Particularly after Julian’s lawyers and the Australian consul requested they be handed to them.

“It seems similar to contraventions under which the arrest took place.”

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John Shipton, Julian Assange's father, speaks during a rally in Martin Place, Sydney, earlier this month.

Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorean embassy last month after seeking asylum there for almost seven years because he feared he would be extradited to Sweden over a rape claim.

That rape claim investigation was reopened in Sweden last week, but Assange has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Julian Assange has consistently denied the rape allegations. Picture: AP

Assange feared that the Sweden claim would lead to him being sent to the United States.

The United States also filed an extradition order for Assange following his arrest at the embassy, which was due back in Westminster Magistrates Court on May 30.

Assange remains in London’s maximum security Belmarsh prison, where he is serving a 50-week sentence for breaching bail when he fled to the embassy in 2012.

In a statement published online, the Ecuadorean government said the search was to identify and confiscate belongings of Assange that could offer clues to possible criminal activity.

The search was due to be carried out under the authorisation of a judge and following a request for judicial assistance from the United States, the statement said.

If officials do decide to confiscate any of the whistleblower’s belongings these will be sent to Ecuador for analysis and then possibly passed on to those seeking judicial assistance.

Originally published as Officials to search Julian Assange's belongings