Editing William Hague (section)

====Julian Assange and right of asylum====
In August 2012, Hague declared that [[Julian Assange]], the [[WikiLeaks|WikiLeaks organisation]] founder, would not be granted [[political asylum]] by the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |title=Julian Assange asylum: Britain will not give safe passage, says William Hague&nbsp;– video |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/video/2012/aug/17/julian-assange-asylum-william-hague-video |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 August 2012 |access-date=19 August 2012 |archive-date=31 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231203412/http://www.theguardian.com/media/video/2012/aug/17/julian-assange-asylum-william-hague-video |url-status=live }}</ref> Hague declared the UK's willingness to extradite Assange to the Swedish authorities who had requested his extradition; thus [[Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority|Swedish prosecutors]], unwilling to break [[diplomatic protocol]], have deferred from interrogating Assange at the [[Embassy of Ecuador, London|Embassy of Ecuador]], London.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 March 2015|title=Julian Assange to be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in London|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/13/julian-assange-wikileaks-swedish-prosecutors-london-interview|access-date=31 October 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=6 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906150407/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/13/julian-assange-wikileaks-swedish-prosecutors-london-interview|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hague confirmed the [[British Government]]'s position – that it is lawfully obliged to extradite Julian Assange. "We're disappointed by the statement by [[Ricardo Patiño|Ecuador's Foreign Minister]] today that [[Politics of Ecuador|Ecuador]] has offered political asylum to [[Julian Assange]]. Under our [[English law|Laws]], with Mr. Assange having exhausted all options of appeal, the British authorities are under a binding obligation to extradite him to [[Sweden]]. We must carry out that obligation and of course we fully intend to do so," Hague confirmed.

Following ''The Guardian'' newspaper outcry over a [[Foreign Office]] note sanctioned by Hague sent to the [[Diplomatic mission|Ecuadorian Embassy]]—in which it raised the possibility of the revocation of their diplomatic status under the [[Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987]]—the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK remained "committed to a diplomatic solution" and played down any suggestion of a police raid of the Ecuadorian Embassy, stating "there is no threat here to storm an embassy".<ref>{{cite news |title=Hague ignored lawyers to send Assange 'threat' note |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hague-ignored-lawyers-to-send-assange-threat-note-8060061.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=19 August 2012 |access-date=18 September 2017 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018062735/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hague-ignored-lawyers-to-send-assange-threat-note-8060061.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=William Hague says there is 'no threat' to storm Ecuadorian embassy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9481405/William-Hague-says-there-is-no-threat-to-storm-Ecuadorian-embassy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818025053/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9481405/William-Hague-says-there-is-no-threat-to-storm-Ecuadorian-embassy.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 August 2012 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=16 August 2012 |access-date=19 August 2012}}</ref>

The former ambassador to Uzbekistan, [[Craig Murray]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenberg|first=Andy|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/08/16/as-ecuadorean-grants-assange-asylum-former-uk-ambassador-says-embassy-raid-is-coming/|title=As Ecuador Grants Assange Asylum, Former UK Ambassador Says Embassy Raid Is Coming|work=Forbes|date=16 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414060734/http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/08/16/as-ecuadorean-grants-assange-asylum-former-uk-ambassador-says-embassy-raid-is-coming/|archive-date=14 April 2016}}</ref> warned that using the 1987 Act to raid the Ecuadorian Embassy would be in "breach of the Vienna Convention of 1961". [[Vladimir Putin|Russia]] warned Britain against violating fundamental diplomatic principles ([[Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations]], and in particular the [[Vienna Convention on Consular Relations|Article 22]] spelling out the inviolability of diplomatic premises),<ref>[http://www.france24.com/en/20120817-russia-issues-warning-britain-over-assange "Russia issues warning to Britain over Assange"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020203029/http://www.france24.com/en/20120817-russia-issues-warning-britain-over-assange |date=20 October 2012 }}</ref> which the [[Government of Ecuador]] invoked.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.mmrree.gob.ec/2012/com042.asp "Declaración del Gobierno de la República del Ecuador sobre la solicitud de asilo de Julian Assange"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817230534/http://www.mmrree.gob.ec/2012/com042.asp |date=20120816130553 }}</ref>

Hague is the subject of a portrait in [[oil painting|oil]] commissioned by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref name="Murphy">{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/exclusive-mps-splash-out-250000-of-public-money-on-vanity-portraits-9056130.html|title=Exclusive: MPs splash out £250,000 of public money on vanity portraits|last=Murphy|first=Joe|date=13 January 2014|work=[[Evening Standard]]|access-date=13 January 2014|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108113041/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/mps-spend-ps250-000-of-public-money-on-vanity-portraits-9056130.html|url-status=live}}</ref>