Julian Assange is concerned not about any proceedings in Sweden as such, but believe that his deportation to Sweden could lead to politically motivated deportation to the United States, where he could face severe penalties, up to the death sentence, for his activities related to WikiLeaks. On 16 August 2012, Foreign Minister Patiño announced that Ecuador was granting Assange political asylum because of the threat represented by the United States secret investigation against him and several calls for assassination from many American politicians. In its formal statement, Ecuador reasoned that "as a consequence of [Assange's] determined defense to freedom of expression and
Julian Assange according to multiple reporting outlets, in respect to Assange's status, outlines the necessity for "third countries" to allow for "safe passage" out of an embassy. Commentators have noted the near absence of this ruling from the American media. There have been inaccurate reports claiming the opinion does not mention Assange specifically, however there have also been accurate reports that recognise Assange's case is in fact mentioned by name. Among these is an article published by the VIPS Steering Group which concludes "It is imperative[...] that Assange is allowed to make the safe passage to Ecuador demanded by the Court". Jennifer