The image of an accused rapist being allowed to walk free isn't pretty. Britain has announced that it will not allow WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to safely leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London, although that country has granted him asylum. See the Fox News article.
I am reminded of the fate of Cardinal Josef Mindszenty who found refuge in the U.S. embassy in Communist Hungary, located in Budapest. He lived there for 15 years before finally being allowed to leave. Of course Mindszenty's "crime" was opposing Communism.
Assange is probably welcome in the Ecuadorean embassy as long as the governments of Britain and Ecuador are philosophically at odds with each other. That period could be forever, or a few months - the instability of governments in Latin America is notorious. Somewhere between a few months and a few years is the high-odds bet.
On the other hand, a Labor government in Britain might let him leave for Ecuador as they would be less friendly with the U.S. and more philosophically compatible with the current government in Ecuador.
