UN expert to visit Assange, assess violation of privacy claims

An independent rights expert will visit WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadoran embassy in London to assess whether privacy violation claims involving him merit investigation, the UN rights office said Thursday.

"The Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joe Cannataci, plans to meet WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 25 April," the UN office said in a statement.

The meeting will take place at the Ecuadoran embassy in London, where Assange has been living for more than six years, and would be facilitated by the Ecuadoran government, it said.

The announcement came after Quito filed a formal complaint to Cannataci accusing WikiLeaks of spreading private information linked to President Lenin Moreno. Photos, videos and private conversations appeared on portals such as Twitter and Facebook.

Moreno was also forced to deny allegations of corruption which surfaced on the website inapapers.org, with the president claiming he knew who was responsible for the accusations.

An informed source said the special rapporteur would also investigate allegations made by Assange that his privacy had been violated during his time holed up in the embassy.

"The UN expert said the meeting would help determine if there exists a prima facie case of violation of privacy that warrants further investigation," the UN statement said. In an interview broadcast by several Ecuadoran radio stations this week, Moreno said: