Ecuador Orders Assange Friend Ola Bini Deported; Lawyer Cites 10-Year Ban
ECUADOR · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- —The country Ecuador is an Andean nation of about 18 million people that uses the US dollar. President Daniel Noboa has made security the centre of his government.
- —The background Ola Bini, a Swedish programmer and privacy activist living in Ecuador since 2013, was arrested in Quito in April 2019. It happened hours after Ecuador ended Julian Assange’s asylum in its London embassy.
- —Why now On 1 October immigration officers and police intelligence agents took Bini to the migration office in Quito. His lawyer says the Interior Ministry had asked for his residence visa to be revoked.
- —What happened That night, after a hearing, Ecuador’s director of migration affairs ordered his immediate deportation to Sweden. His lawyer, Carlos Soria, says the order bars Bini from returning for 10 years.
- —Who is who Bini is 44 and a friend of the WikiLeaks founder. A Quito court cleared him in 2023, but an appeal court convicted him in 2024 of attempted unauthorised access to a computer system.
- —What it means for you Foreign residents should note that Ecuador can revoke a visa by administrative decision on security grounds, without publishing the evidence.
- —Still open The government had not explained its reasons publicly by early 2 October. Bini was waiting at Quito’s airport for an emergency travel document from Sweden.
Ecuador has ordered the immediate deportation of Ola Bini, a Swedish programmer and friend of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The decision came late on 1 October, hours after migration agents detained him in Quito.
His lawyer says the order also bars Bini from entering Ecuador for 10 years. The authorities cited confidential reports that he committed acts against state security, according to the defence.
What happened on Thursday
Bini left home on the afternoon of 1 October to buy food at a supermarket in northern Quito. According to his lawyer, four people stepped out of a vehicle and took him away.
A police report seen by the TV channel Teleamazonas says the operation took place at about 2:30 p.m. Quito time. It involved migration officers and agents of the National Police intelligence service.
At 3:09 p.m., Bini posted on X: “An hour ago I was detained by Ecuador’s migration. They say they have revoked my visa!!” He added: “I fear they are going to destroy my life again.”
A deportation hearing followed at the migration office on Amazonas Avenue. Documents from the migration under-secretariat say a check of his status found a possible ground for deportation, the newspaper La República reported.
The order and the 10-year ban
Late that night, Soria said the director of migration affairs had ordered Bini deported “immediately” to Sweden. The newspapers Expreso and El Comercio both report the 10-year entry ban, citing the lawyer.
“An administrative official ordered the immediate deportation of Ola Bini without any reason or evidence,” Soria wrote on X. He said the decision rested on “secret reports” alleging acts against the security of the state.
According to the news agency EFE, Soria said the visa was revoked at the request of the Interior Ministry. He said Bini had received no notice of the revocation, and that he was taken “without any arrest or detention order”.
The defence filed a habeas corpus petition, a court request to rule on whether a detention is lawful. The migration authorities decided on the deportation before a judge could hear it.
Waiting at the airport
Bini does not hold a valid passport, according to his lawyer. The defence is asking Sweden’s embassy in Bogotá, in neighbouring Colombia, for an emergency travel document.
Until it arrives, Bini must stay at Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito. Soria said the document was expected on Friday, 2 October, after which the defence would buy him a ticket.
A seven-year case
Bini moved to Ecuador in 2013. He was detained in April 2019 as he prepared to fly from Quito to Japan. Hours earlier, President Lenín Moreno’s government had ended Assange’s asylum in London.
Prosecutors accused him of unauthorised access to the systems of CNT, the state telecoms company. In January 2023 a criminal court in Pichincha province, which includes Quito, unanimously upheld his innocence.
In April 2024 two judges of the Pichincha appeal court reversed that verdict. They convicted Bini of attempted unauthorised access to a computer system and sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine.
EFE reports that the sentence was later suspended on conditions. His defence argues that the criminal case has lapsed and that all precautionary measures against him were lifted.
El Comercio stresses that the deportation is a separate administrative decision, not part of the criminal case. Soria said migration officials confirmed there was no arrest warrant against Bini.
What comes next
Ecuador has done this before. In 2024 the government revoked the visa of Alondra Santiago, a Cuban journalist and actress. It also cited acts against state security, EFE recalls.
Under President Noboa, Ecuador has given its security agencies wide powers to confront violent gangs, as The Rio Times profiled this week. Soria called Bini’s case “the most arbitrary violation of rights” he has witnessed.
The order does not mean Bini has been found guilty of anything new, and no new criminal charge has been reported. It also does not change the rules for ordinary foreign residents, whose visas remain governed by Ecuador’s migration law.
The government’s reasons remain confidential for now. A court could still review the habeas corpus petition, although the deportation would take effect once Bini boards a flight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ola Bini?
Ola Bini is a Swedish programmer and privacy activist who has lived in Ecuador since 2013. He is a friend of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and was arrested in Quito in April 2019, hours after Ecuador ended Assange’s asylum.
Has Ola Bini already left Ecuador?
Not as of early 2 October 2026. His lawyer said Bini had to wait at Quito’s airport until Sweden’s embassy in Bogotá issued an emergency travel document.
Why is Ecuador deporting him?
The authorities cited confidential reports alleging acts against state security, according to his lawyer. The government had not published its reasons by early 2 October.
Does this affect other foreigners living in Ecuador?
Not directly. It shows that Ecuador can revoke a residence visa by administrative decision on security grounds, so foreign residents should keep their migration paperwork in order.
Sources: El Comercio, 2 October 2026, Expreso, 2 October 2026, Teleamazonas, 1–2 October 2026, La República (Ecuador), 1 October 2026, EFE via Unitel, 1 October 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026. For residence rules, see The Rio Times guide to residency in Ecuador for foreigners.
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