>>It appears to me that his excuse for not doing what anyone else would be expected to do is that wiki leaks is too important in terms of free speech and open-ness and that he should somehow be treated differently. That's complete rubbish, he's an individual and nobody's that important.
It would seem that there is a genuine risk of him ending up in the States if he returned to Sweden, which would be reason enough for any sane person to want to stay away.
As others have stated, he has offered to be interviewed in London and the Ecuadorian embassy, and although that's not 'normal' procedure it's certainly doable - I'm pretty sure I read about the Swedes interviewing a suspected murderer in a foreign country, but can't see the link just now.
I think he should be treated differently because of the Wikileaks connection and the very real possibility of political persecution because of that.
There are plenty of cases where things have been done out with the normal procedure for a court because of the potential political consequences for the individuals involved - for instance we went as far as setting up a Scottish law court in the Netherlands to try Abdelbaset al-Megrahi for the bombing of Pan Am 103.
It would appear that Equador's actions have also offended another, more powerful authority.
Either God or Gaia is on the side of Great British justice. Take that Jules:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-19331923