(CNN) -- Ecuador has granted Julian Assange asylum out of concern the Wikileaks founder will be politically persecuted if extradited. The decision is a victory for Assange, who is trying to avoid being extradited to Sweden and has been holed up inside Ecuador's embassy in London for nearly two months. But the bad news for Assange is that British police have refused to grant him safe passage out of the country. The British government has pledged to send Assange to Sweden to face questioning on sex crimes charges, but Ecuador's foreign minister says if Assange is sent to Sweden, he could then be extradited to the United States to face charges of espionage or treason.
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Ecuador grants asylum to Julian Assange, who is holed up in Ecuador's London embassy
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British police refuse to grant Wikileaks founder safe passage out of country
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Whiteway: No precedent in UK for entering another country's embassy
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Whiteway: Such a move would further damage Ecuador-UK relations
But @placeholder's is not a compound embassy, so as soon as he steps out the door he is liable to be arrested.