WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to break months of silence Sunday from Ecuador's Embassy in Britain, where he fled to avoid extradition to Sweden.London police officers stood guard outside the embassy ahead of the expected appearance, while a dozen Assange supporters showed up. Both groups were outnumbered by the media and by curious shoppers from the upscale stores in the area.
Assange is scheduled to speak Sunday afternoon from the embassy in London, where he has been living, effectively confined to the diplomatic mission in a posh London neighborhood near Hyde Park.
His statement comes as foreign ministers from various South American countries gather in Ecuador to discuss his fate.
The dispute between London and Ecuador broke out when the British Foreign Office cited a little known law that could temporarily suspend the embassy's diplomatic protection and allow authorities to enter and arrest Assange. Ecuador's president Rafael Correa on Saturday called Britain's behavior toward Ecuador "intolerable" and "unacceptable."
During his weekly address, Correa said, "Who do they think they're dealing with? They don't realize Latin America is free and sovereign. We won't tolerate interference, colonialism of any kind."
The president said Ecuador had sought, but did not receive, a guarantee that Assange would not be extradited to a third country.
Assange's supporters fear if he is extradited to Sweden, he could be sent to the United States next. Sweden angrily rejected the allegation on Thursday.
"Sweden does not extradite individuals who risk facing the death penalty," the Foreign Ministry said after Ecuador granted Assange asylum.