Assange will not be extradited to a country with death penalty, says Ecuador president

I asked Great Britain the guarantee that Mr Assange will not be extradited to any country in which he could suffer torture or face the death penalty, President Lenin Moreno said.

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno talks during a news conference. (File | AP) 

QUITO:  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrested in London on Thursday after Quito withdrew his political asylum, will not be extradited to any country where he could face "torture or the death penalty," Ecuador's president said.

"I asked Great Britain the guarantee that Mr Assange will not be extradited to any country in which he could suffer torture or face the death penalty," President Lenin Moreno said in a video message posted on social media.

READ MORE | Quito withdraws Assange's Ecuador citizenship

"The British government has confirmed this in writing," that they will meet this requirement, Moreno said.

Assange has been living at Ecuador's embassy in London since 2012 when he sought refuge there after being accused of sexual assault in Sweden.