Ecuador orders arrest of former foreign minister
Posted Apr 19, 2019 9:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
QUITO, Ecuador — An Ecuadorian judge has ordered the arrest of a former foreign minister, highlighting political tensions in the country that evicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the country’s London embassy last week.
Ricardo Patiño says in a video message on social media that he’s being wrongfully pursued for calling for peaceful protests against President Lenin Moreno.
Ecuadorian prosecutors said Thursday they’ve asked Interpol to help detain Patiño for allegedly urging people to take over public institutions and shut down roads last year. They say he is suspected of “instigation.”
Patiño is an ally of former President Rafael Correa, who granted asylum to Assange in 2012 and who has been feuding with Moreno.
The Associated Press
