UK: UN panel rules Wikileaks founder 'arbitrarily' detained at embassy
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 February 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, UK: UN panel rules Wikileaks founder 'arbitrarily' detained at embassy, 4 February 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c4299a5a.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 04, 2016
Julian Assange has not left the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012. (file photo)
A United Nations panel has reportedly ruled that the confinement at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange amounts to "arbitrary" detention.
Sweden's Foreign Ministry announced the finding by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on February 4, a day before the panel was due to formally publish its report.
Assange, who is wanted for extradition to Sweden on an accusation of sexual assault, has lived at the embassy in London since June 2012.
In 2014, Assange complained to the UN that he was being "arbitrarily detained" because he could not leave the embassy without being arrested.
The British government says it has a legal obligation to extradite Assange to Sweden, and maintains that Assange is voluntarily avoiding a lawful arrest by choosing to remain at the embassy.
It also has said the UN panel's ruling would not be legally binding in the United Kingdom.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and BBC
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
