Just days after Wikileaks makes documents public showing that the United States had spied on past French leaders, and President Hollande, Le Monde publishes an open letter from Assange, requesting the President grant him French asylum:

My life is in danger, France is the only country that can offer me the necessary protection against … the political persecutions I face.

Less than an hour after the letter is published, Hollande’s office issues an official statement saying that Assange’s asylum request has been denied, because Assange’s predicament “presents no immediate danger.” Assange remains in Ecuador’s London embassy.