Six days ago Julian Assange, apparently frustrated by being cut off from the outside world for months, made a mistake.

Julian Assange is suing Ecuador’s government for violating his “fundamental rights and freedoms”, despite the fact he is still being sheltered in the country’s UK embassy.

The move comes several months after Ecuador cut off communications for Mr Assange, and just days after it emerged it has set new house rules for the WikiLeaks founder, including a ban on making political statements.

Ecuador, under new neoliberal management, then proceeded to wash their hands of Assange.

Ecuador does not plan to intervene with the British government on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in talks over his situation as an asylee in the South American country’s London embassy, Ecuador’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.
...
“Ecuador has no responsibility to take any further steps,” Valencia said. “We are not Mr. Assange’s lawyers, nor are we representatives of the British government. This is a matter to be resolved between Assange and Great Britain.”

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment after normal business hours.

Greg Barns, an Australian lawyer advising Assange, said in an email that “developments in the case in recent times” showed the need for Australia’s government to intervene to assist “one of its citizens who faces real danger.”

That's significant, but what makes it more significant is the new promise from the UK.

The United Kingdom told Ecuador in August that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would not be extradited if he left the country’s London embassy, where he has lived under asylum since 2012, Ecuador’s top government attorney said on Thursday.

In a written response to queries from Ecuador, the UK explained that it had not received any extradition request, and said Assange’s jail time in the UK for violating bail terms by seeking refuge in the embassy would not exceed six months, Iñigo Salvador, who represents the Ecuadorean government in court proceedings, told reporters.

Salvador said Ecuador passed on the UK’s response to Assange’s lawyers, but noted that if Assange stayed in the embassy Ecuador would put new conditions on his stay.

“Mr. Assange had a choice between turning himself in to British authorities with those assurances, or staying in the embassy of Ecuador, but given that the asylum had lasted six years with no signs of immediate resolution we were going to place certain rules,” Salvador said at a news conference.

That sounds like the UK giving Ecuador political cover if they decide to toss Assange out.