Rice University diplomacy and cyberspace expert available to comment on Assange asylum announcement

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Jeff Falk
713-348-6775
jfalk@rice.edu 

Rice University diplomacy and cyberspace expert available to comment on Assange asylum announcement
Bronk: WikiLeaks activities are given an endorsement it has not yet had 

HOUSTON — (Aug. 16, 2012) – Making headlines this morning is the news that Ecuador is granting political asylum to Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. Assange has been staying in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for the past two months awaiting the decision.

Christopher Bronk, a fellow in information technology policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and a former U.S. State Department diplomat who has worked in Latin America and specializes in cybersecurity issues, is available to comment on this development.

Bronk said the government of Ecuador’s decision to allow entry to Assange complicates the matter of his extradition from Great Britain to Sweden to answer to sex crime charges there. “Ecuador’s position creates a diplomatic tension on the WikiLeaks matter,” Bronk said. “By having a nation-state’s backing, WikiLeaks’ activities are given an endorsement it has not yet had.”

Bronk added, “Also, there is the sticky issue of how Ecuador proposes to transport Assange from Great Britain as he is technically a fugitive there and has violated his bond.”

To schedule an interview with Bronk, contact Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

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Related materials:

Bronk bio: http://bakerinstitute.org/personnel/fellows-scholars/cbronk

Founded in 1993, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston ranks among the top 20 university-affiliated think tanks globally and top 30 think tanks in the United States. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute sponsors more than 20 programs that conduct research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows and Rice University scholars. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.