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Updated 4.10pm
A UN WORKING Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that Julian Assange’s confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy in London amounts to illegal detention, Sweden’s foreign ministry said today.
“We can only note that the working panel has come to another conclusion than Swedish judicial authorities,” a ministry spokeswoman told AFP, a day before the panel was to formally publish its report.
The WikiLeaks founder, who is wanted for extradition on a rape accusation in Sweden and has lived in the embassy since June 2012, said earlier today that he expected to be treated as a free man if the panel rules in his favour.
Assange said he could leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London tomorrow pending an opinion by a UN panel on his alleged rape case — but Britain said it would have to arrest him.
In September 2014, Assange filed a complaint against Sweden and Britain to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, claiming his confinement in the embassy amounted to illegal detention.
“Should I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return of my passport and the termination of further attempts to arrest me,” he said in a statement today.
If the UN group rules against him he said “I shall exit the embassy at noon on Friday to accept arrest by British police as there is no meaningful prospect of further appeal”.
Arrest
The British government said it was under an obligation to arrest him in both eventualities.
“An allegation of rape is still outstanding and a European arrest warrant in place, so the UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite Mr Assange to Sweden,” a government spokesman said.
We have been consistently clear that Mr Assange has never been arbitrarily detained by the UK but is, in fact, voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorian embassy.
’A miserable existence’
The BBC reported that the UN panel would find in Assange’s favour, in what would be a non-binding decision, although WikiLeaks sent a tweet saying it was awaiting “official confirmation”.
“Hopefully, the British and Swedish authorities will allow him freedom,” Vaughan Smith, a friend and supporter of Assange, told AFP.
“He has a miserable existence, so of course he wants to get out,” he said.
The BBC report said the panel took its decision in December and had already informed both the Swedish and British governments.
The 44-year-old has been holed up in the embassy in west London since June 2012 in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden over rape allegations, charges he has denied.
Ecuador has granted him asylum, but he faces immediate arrest if he steps onto British soil and for years police have been posted around the clock outside its doors at a cost of millions of pounds.
24-hour guard
In October last year, British police ended the 24-hour guard outside the embassy in Knightsbridge in west London but said they would strengthen a “covert plan” to prevent his departure.
Separately, the Australian fears he could eventually face extradition to the United States to be put on a trial over the leak of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents by his anti-secrecy group Wikileaks.
Assange founded Wikileaks in 2006, and its activities including the release of 500,000 secret military files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and 250,000 diplomatic cables have infuriated the United States.
The main source of the leaks, US Army soldier Chelsea Manning, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for breaches of the Espionage Act.
Black stain
WikiLeaks has said Sweden’s handling of his case has left a “black stain” on the country’s human rights record.
Any decision by the UN group would not be legally binding, but Justice for Assange claims its rulings influenced the release from detention of prominent figures including Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi and Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who was held by Iran for 18 months.
A divisive figure, Assange has likened his confinement in the embassy, where he lives in a small room divided into an office and a living area, to living in a space station.
Previously he lived in the more impressive surroundings of an English country mansion owned by one of his supporters, documentary maker Vaughan Smith.
Sick of religion(s) and all the bullshit that goes with them.
But mainly Islam
Almost exclusively Islam.
Alan, never hear of the crusades?
Ever heard of the 21st century.
I defy any of you to give me proof that Islamic extremists have killed more people than the crusades? Bashing Islam and Islam alone is ridiculous. Now the amount of love lost because if any religion through out history would be a staggering figure, I would imagine.
The crusades ended 800 years ago.
Then we evolved into people who can respect the beliefs of others , islam is very much a “with us or against us” thing.
So you are speaking for circa 2.2 billion people with that with or against us comment? There are extreme elements in many religions and religious sects. To brand a whole religion as anything, as you did, is preposterous. Unless you have met, interviewed and have vast intelligence on the while Muslim populous, then I stand corrected.
Put the pompoms away Massimo, it never ceases to amaze me there are so many deluded apologists like yourself out there wiling to defend this Stone Age ideology.
I apologise for no one. I just think it’s a bit rich that you can generalise over 2 billion peoples beliefs and attitudes toward extremism. Whatever floats your boat dude.
George bush is a fairly hardcore Christian and he got a pretty high body count. It’s just that warplanes killing people is less grisly then hacking people to death. And lets not forget the Balkans, the Muslims got a rough time there too. It’s just the Muslim extremists are currently the most prolific. That’s how I see it anyway.
Barbarians. These Fulani herdsmen seem to be cut from the and cloth as Boko Haram.
This is what exactly would happen in Syria if the rebels win the war. Christans would have to flee the Country
Some of the Christian militias in Nigeria and CAR are just as bad as Islamist variations.
The balance of support must fall toward those opposed to death and tribal vengeance. It’s not a religious affiliation, it’s a common perspective of civility and decency. Sadly, barbarism like this is commonplace in conflict areas of the world. Islam is frequently the catalyst.
“Dear God please protect me from your followers”
My religion is better than you religion so I’m gonna kill you.
Your interpretation of a religious text is slightly different my interpretation , so I’m gonna kill you.
@Dario
Where gang of men armed with machetes,entering villages and hacking people into little pieces in Ireland a few years ago?
Yer wasting yer time trying to get your point across to Dario and his ilk Shamen, I’m surprised Petr Tosserov isn’t out cheerleading for the jihadists as usual.
@Dario, Balbriggan, Waterford, Ennis, Ballinasloe etc. etc.
Absolutely atrocious. To do such things in the name of religion. Barbaric fanatical morons
Whear is the proof it was in the name of religion
I’d imagine it was to do with land or livestock, that’s my guess anyway.
Islam – The religion of Peace ! Oh, and beheadings, women as 3rd class citizens being stoned to death, 500 lashes for the slightest indiscretion, kleptocracies, Fatwas, etc….
This has nothing at all to do with religions .a few weeks back christians mutilated muslims and ate body parts , not much media coverage : these evil acts do not represent Islam or all muslims , no more than the evil acts carried out by non muslims dosent represent all non muslims . Media really love highlighting things when a muslim is involved . . These crimes are not carried out because of religion they are carried out by power , greed , money . .
They taste like pork I believe.
Possibly you have a point. However can you name even a couple of Christian countries which have as strict as laws as Sharia and where just being born to another religion even if you don’t practise it, can result in you being potentially jailed ! Also, which Christian countries promote female genital mutilation or young pre-teenage girls being married off to old men !
Such a shame.
This reads more like a Nigerian “Heavens Gate” than a simply being a sectarian tragedy. Sounds like somebody needs to respect land ownership – but it’s far from clear who that should be.
It’s sickening that this still happens and no one helps it highlights the evil in certain parts of the world to hack innocent people to death who have nothing anyway these are evil people.
it’s heart breaking when we can’t stop this.
Religion brings nothing but misery to people.
I am amazed that people will down on ( Fri,Sat or Sunday and then go out and butcher other people in the name of God , an entity that more likely does not exist at all.
have your say