In a news conference in Quito, Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino announced the government's decision on Assange. Patino said, “Ecuador had decided to grant asylum because of the fears expressed by Mr. Assange, we believe that his fears are legitimate, and there are threats that he could face political persecution if the measures aren’t taken to avoid them.”

The foreign minister said that the governments of the UK, US and Sweden refused to assure the WikiLeaks founder would not be extradited to the US.

“The judicial evidence”, he says, “shows clearly that if Mr Assange were extradited to the United States, he would not receive a fair trial and could be judged by special tribunals or military courts. It is not implausible that he would be subjected to cruel and degrading treatment and be condemned to life in prison or capital punishment which would not respect his human rights.”

However, the British Foreign Office made it clear Thursday that Ecuador’s announcement of granting asylum does not change Britain’s purpose of fulfilling its official responsibility to expel Assange. “We shall carry out that obligation,” it said in a statement. “The Ecuadorian government’s decision this afternoon does not change that.”

In Australia, Assange's mother was delighted with Ecuador's announcement, but she predicts hard times ahead for her son.