Steve Bell’s Guardian cartoon has William Hague in the barrel of a tank’s cannon approaching the Embassy of Ecuador in London – reference to the robust wording of the British Embassy in Quito’s letter to the Ecuador government (excerpt here). The threat is that unless Ecuador hands over Julian Assange, then ministers have the power to withdraw recognition from diplomatic premises and enter the building and arrest him.
Others are much better placed than I am to examine the pros and cons of the Assange case itself [for the record: I think he should go to Sweden and face trial], but instead I want to look at the international political implications of the British Embassy’s letter, and the FCO’s hard line on this.
Turn the clock back to 29 November 2011. The UK decided to close its embassy in Tehran because the building had been stormed, and Hague alleged the attack had the backing of the Iranian regime. Protection of Embassies by the host country is a central component of the 1961 Vienna Convention, and Iran was clearly in breach. This is the same reason why UK police protect the embassies of Syria (still) and Libya (previously, when Gaddafi was still in power) against protestors.
The UK then cannot threaten to withdraw recognition of the premises of Ecuador in London and simultaneously complain when its own premises are attacked in Tehran.
The UK government faces the same quandary when it comes to freedom of expression. David Cameron might want to restrict London rioters’ access to social networks (a point developed further by Andrea Leadsom earlier this month) while William Hague urged the former Egyptian regime to protect freedom of expression. Likewise any UK calls for Russia to respect the rights of Pussy Riot and other protestors are rendered less forceful as UK ministers criticise the Human Rights Act that ensures the European Convention on Human Rights has force in UK law.
Do unto others as you would have them do to you is always a decent principle. William Hague, and the rest of the UK government, would do well to bear it in mind more often.