Assange smacks down Murdoch as he announces he’s leaving Ecuador embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Monday he would "soon" leave Ecuador's embassy in London, where he has sought asylum for over two years.

He told a press conference he "will be leaving the embassy soon" but not for reasons "reported by the Murdoch press," without elaborating further.

British media reported at the weekend, quoting a WikiLeaks source, that he was suffering from the potentially life-threatening heart condition arrhythmia and had a chronic lung complaint as well as dangerously high blood pressure.

Assange was accompanied at the press conference by Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino.

He did not mention a plan for Assange to leave the embassy but called for the governments involved in his case to take action.

"The situation must come to an end -- two years is simply too long," he said.

"We continue to offer him our protection (and) we continue to be ready to talk with the British government and the Swedish government to find a solution to this serious breach of Julian Assange's human rights."