FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up in the south American country’s embassy in London since 2012. On Tuesday he released a statement saying: ”We hope that the new government in Ecuador can renew attempts to implement this (UN) decision.” He made the plea to the new government following elections earlier in April, which saw Lenin Moreno elected president. Mr Moreno replaces Rafael Correa, who was in power for more than a decade, and was the individual who initially granted asylum to Mr Assange.

GETTY The Australian claims he fears being extradited from Sweden to the US

The activist has lived at the address in Hans Crescent since they granted him diplomatic asylum after the 45-year-old faced extradition to Sweden to face rape charges. The UK stationed police officers outside the embassy 24 hours a day in a multi-million pound operation. But in 2015 the decision was made to stop the the surveillance, after costing an estimated £11.1 million.

Things you may not know about Julian Assange Tue, March 7, 2017 WikiLeaks Founder, Julian Assange has led a very interesting and controversial life which has been at the centre of global debate Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 10 It is believed that Julian Assange chooses to live in Sweden because the country's media laws are among the world's most protective for journalists

The Australian claims he fears being extradited from Sweden to the US after they launched a criminal investigation into the publication of confidential cables, the majority of which were provided by Chelsea Manning. They were a great embarrassment to the US as they exposed sensitive information relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But in a positive step towards his situation, the United Nations (UN) ruled last year his detention was illegal and said he should be allowed to be released, the decision Julian Assange was referring to.

GETTY The activist has lived at the address in Hans Crescent since 2012

We hope that the new government in Ecuador can renew attempts Julian Assange

They added that both Britain and Sweden should pay the activist compensation. With no firm end in sight, Mr Assange has frequently given press conferences and statements from a small balcony at the residence where he lives. Not short of fans, an unlikely admirer has come in form of former Playboy model Pamela Anderson.

GETTY The blonde bombshell has been spotted visiting Mr Assange at the embassy

The blonde bombshell has been spotted visiting Mr Assange at the embassy several times over the past couple of months, sparking rumours the pair have struck up a close friendship. Still active in his position as editor-in-chief, WikiLeaks dropped another bombshell when it published Vault7 in March, a cache of thousands of documents supposedly from the CIA detailing hacking and surveillance tools.

GETTY The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up in the south American country’s embassy

Mr Assange previously described the documents as: “Exceptional from a political, legal and forensic perspective.” In another twist in the WikiLeaks saga, which has dragged into it fifth year, President Barack Obama commuted Ms Manning’s sentence as one of his last acts in office.