{"id":46356,"date":"2016-10-17T16:20:30","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T20:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/julian-assanges-internet-has-been-cut-off-but-has-he-left-the-ecuadorian-embassy\/"},"modified":"2016-10-17T16:20:30","modified_gmt":"2016-10-17T20:20:30","slug":"julian-assanges-internet-has-been-cut-off-but-has-he-left-the-ecuadorian-embassy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/julian-assanges-internet-has-been-cut-off-but-has-he-left-the-ecuadorian-embassy\/","title":{"rendered":"Julian Assange\u2019s Internet Has Been Cut Off, But Has He Left the Ecuadorian Embassy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Julian Assange\u2019s Internet Has Been Cut Off, But Has He Left the Ecuadorian Embassy?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"julian<\/p>\n

Hacktivist group WikiLeaks says founder Julian Assange’s internet has been intentionally cut off by a state actor.<\/p>\n

Assange has been holed up at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for over four years to avoid being extradited to Sweden on charges of sex crimes. <\/a><\/p>\n

WikiLeaks tweeted out on Monday, “Julian Assange’s internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans.”<\/p>\n

It is not clear at this time what those contingency plans consist of.<\/p>\n

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Julian Assange’s internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans.<\/p>\n

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Other WikiLeaks members have reportedly experience communications outages as well.<\/p>\n

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I’ve spoken with 14 other @wikileaks<\/a> task force members who have also experienced internet\/phone outage. WTF. #freejulian<\/a><\/p>\n

— dan rolle (@danrolle) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The news regarding Assange’s internet comes on the same day that Russian media outlet Russia Today’s UK bank accounts have been closed. Via The Guardian:<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Russia has angrily accused Britain of trampling on freedom of speech after NatWest said it was closing down the bank accounts of the Kremlin TV channel Russia<\/a> Today (RT).<\/p>\n

Russian MPs, the foreign ministry and human rights officials all condemned the move, and said the UK government was guilty of violating press freedom and of double standards. “Long live<\/a> freedom of speech!”, RT’s editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, tweeted sarcastically.<\/p>\n

Simonyan said she had received a letter out of the blue from NatWest saying that it was pulling the plug on the broadcaster’s accounts from mid-December.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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#RT<\/a> bank accounts blocked in UK pic.twitter.com\/C2bymqfFhz<\/a><\/p>\n

— RT (@RT_com) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Earlier, there had been speculation that a series of cryptic tweets sent out by WikiLeaks indicated that Assange had died.<\/p>\n

Via Gizmodo: <\/a><\/p>\n

In the absence of context, some users on Twitter, Reddit<\/a>, and various image boards<\/a> were quick to speculate that the tweets were the result of a “dead man<\/a>’s switch,” triggered in the event of Julian Assange’s untimely end. Such switches do exist (both mechanically and electronically) and many speculated that all 349 gigs of the heavily-encrypted “Wikileaks insurance<\/a>” from 2013 are intended for precisely that purpose.<\/p>\n

However, later tweets by WikiLeaks volunteer Kelly Kolisnik<\/a> confirmed that Assange is alive.<\/p>\n

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Help tweet #FreeJulian<\/a> and #PrayforAssange<\/a>. @WikiLeaks<\/a> needs you as they face illegal attacks and blockades. @CommunityWL<\/a> @WLTaskForce<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/f2P1cma4RL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Kelly Kolisnik (@kellykolisnik) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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@JohnDeplo<\/a> You can’t go in without an appointment. Julian is confirmed to be perfectly fine. Thanks for your support and for checking 🙂<\/p>\n

— Kelly Kolisnik (@kellykolisnik) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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@davidleary9981<\/a> Yes, the embassy confirmed he doing fine<\/p>\n

— Kelly Kolisnik (@kellykolisnik) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Kolisnik also retweeted this video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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UK Ecuadorian Embassy Security Office confirmed @WikiLeaks<\/a> founder Julian #Assange<\/a> is alive & well! .@TRUNEWS<\/a> Excited for upcoming drops! pic.twitter.com\/tnBxNEP9R4<\/a><\/p>\n

— Edward Szall (@realEdwardSzall) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, a mysterious video<\/a> has surfaced alleging Assange has left the Ecuadorian embassy and is as of this posting in a blue van just outside the compound.<\/p>\n

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.@JohnDeplo<\/a>: Blue #G4S<\/a> van parked in-front of UK Ecuadorian Embassy holding @WikiLeaks<\/a> Julian #Assange<\/a> @TRUNEWS<\/a> vid:t.co\/q6NoyFCCFA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xemxpxfCxK<\/a><\/p>\n

— Edward Szall (@realEdwardSzall) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s not point fingers at things just yet. I have no reason or proof to believe that #Assange<\/a> was in the G4S van.<\/p>\n

— John Deplo (@JohnDeplo) October 17, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

[h\/t ABC News<\/a>]<\/p>\n

The post Julian Assange’s Internet Has Been Cut Off, But Has He Left the Ecuadorian Embassy?<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Julian Assange’s Internet Has Been Cut Off, But Has He Left the Ecuadorian Embassy?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n