Ecuadorian authorities announced Tuesday that Ecuador's embassies in the US and UK have received over 10,000 messages in support of Wikileaks' Julian Assange's bid for political asylum in the country.

Activists participate in a demonstration to support political asylum for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in front of the Foreign Ministry in Quito on June 26. (AFP Photo/Rodrigo Buendia) "Thousands of people asking the Ecuadorian government to accord asylum to Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sent a steady stream of messages saying why they support him," stated Ecuador's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Assange took refuge in London's Ecuadorian embassy on June 19, in an ongoing attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden. Assange maintains that accusations of sexual assault against him therein are politically motivated attempts to silence his work in governmental transparency.

Assange awaits a response from Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, who responded to his request saying they must first "analyze the judicial process in Sweden" and that "these things take time. It's not that simple."

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Agence France-Presse: 10,000 messages back Assange's asylum in Ecuador

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