Ecuador to UK: Can We Send Assange to the Hospital?

Ecuador's London embassy is asking England for safe passage for Julian Assange should he need to go to the hospital. Assange's health has apparently declined since he sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in June, but he risks arrest if he leaves the building, reports Reuters. "Assange has grown noticeably thinner, and we are very concerned about his health," says an Ecuadorian diplomat in Moscow.

Britain hasn't said whether it will grant Ecuador's request. "If he falls ill we will have to choose between two alternatives: to treat Assange in the embassy or hospitalize him," says the diplomat. "This is a very serious situation and it can affect Assange's human rights."