Julian Assange Granted Assylum In Ecuador But Will Not Be Guaranteed Safe Passage Out Of UK.

Ecuador granted Julian Assange asylum over fears of political persecution Thursday, but it was hardly a reprieve as Britain vowed to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to Sweden to face questioning on sex crime charges.

Assange, whose website has published hundreds of thousands of once-secret U.S. government documents, has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since June.

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño said Thursday there is credible fear that if Assange is sent to Sweden, he could subsequently be extradited to the United States, where he could be charged with espionage and treason.

In the United States, there are no guarantees that Assange would receive a fair trial or that he wouldn't be subject to a military or secret tribunal, Patiño added.

But Julian Assange will not be allowed safe passage out of the UK, Foreign Secretary William Hague said today as he warned that diplomatic immunity should not be used to harbour alleged criminals.

Mr Hague said it was a 'matter of regret' that the Ecuadorian government decided to grant Mr Assange political asylum but warned that it 'does not change the fundamentals' of the case.

His announcement came as Mr Assange was granted asylum by Ecuador  in whose London embassy he has taken refuge since June  in a move that is likely to spark an international row.

The decision is likely to deepen tensions between the UK and Ecuador, who have grown increasingly hostile with each other over whether Mr Assange would be arrested and extradited.

'Diplomatic immunity exists to allow embassies and diplomats to exercise proper diplomatic functions and the harbouring of alleged criminals, or frustrating the due legal process in a country, is not a permitted function.