WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange granted Ecuadorian citizenship

LONDON — Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa announced Thursday.
Speaking at a news conference in Quito, Espinosa said Assange was granted naturalization on December 12.
She called the measure “one more ring of protection” for Assange, who has been holed up at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 in an effort to avoid a Swedish arrest warrant on rape allegations — a charge he