Assange claims 'victory' after U.N. ruling

Julian Assange speaks Friday at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. “The lawfulness of my detention or otherwise is now a matter of settled law,” he said at a video news conference.
Julian Assange speaks Friday at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. “The lawfulness of my detention or otherwise is now a matter of settled law,” he said at a video news conference.

LONDON -- Julian Assange hailed as "a historic victory" a United Nations panel's call for the founder of WikiLeaks to be allowed to leave his embassy hideaway, where he has been holed up by British and Swedish authorities for more than three years.

Assange addressed supporters from a balcony at the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where he has made his home since June 2012, after being sought by Swedish and British authorities for questioning on allegations of sexual misconduct.

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which falls under the offices of the U.N. human-rights chief, said Assange has been "arbitrarily detained" by the United Kingdom and Sweden, which maintain that Assange's legal situation is unchanged.

Speaking earlier by video link from the embassy, Assange told a news conference that the finding that he has been unlawfully detained is a significant victory that completely vindicates him.

"The lawfulness of my detention or otherwise is now a matter of settled law," Assange said.

The lawyer for the Swedish woman who has accused Assange of rape said the U.N. panel's finding was "insulting and offensive" toward her client and the rights of all crime victims.

In a statement, Elisabeth Massi Fritz said Assange should "pack his bags, leave the embassy and start cooperating with the police and the prosecutor."

She said it was "important to remember that Assange had violated the law and is willfully defying the courts' decisions."

No charges have been filed against Assange in Sweden, but Swedish prosecutors want to question him over allegations of rape stemming from a working visit he made to the country in 2010 when WikiLeaks was attracting international attention for its secret-spilling. He is also sought by the United Kingdom for jumping bail.

Assange, 44, has consistently denied the allegations but has refused to return to Sweden to meet with prosecutors, arguing that the allegations against him are part of a plot to send him to the United States to face possible charges related to WikiLeaks' release of classified documents.

It is not known whether U.S. judicial officials are seeking Assange's arrest on U.S. charges. Sweden has not received any extradition request from U.S. authorities, said Anders Ronquist, legal chief at Sweden's foreign ministry.

Ronquist said Assange voluntarily entered the embassy and "is not being deprived of his liberty there due to any decision or action taken by the Swedish authorities."

British and Swedish officials maintain the U.N. panel's finding has no legal force.

"This changes nothing. We completely reject any claim that Julian Assange is a victim of arbitrary detention," the Foreign Office said. "Julian Assange has never been arbitrarily detained by the U.K."

It countered that Assange was "voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy."

Karin Rosander, spokesman for the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said that under Swedish law the panel's conclusion will have no "formal impact."

The decision of the five-person panel was not unanimous: Vladimir Tochilovsky, a Ukrainian member, disagreed, saying he did not believe Assange had been detained. The fifth member of the panel recused herself because she is Australian, as is Assange.

The panel criticized a "disproportionate" reaction by Swedish prosecutors in issuing a European arrest warrant rather than seeking to question Assange using bilateral agreements with the U.K., and insisted that the Swedish prosecutor refused to consider other ways of interviewing him compatible with his right to asylum -- which it said was not properly respected.

"The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considers that the various forms of deprivation of liberty to which Julian Assange has been subjected constitute a form of arbitrary detention," said panel chairman Seong-Phil Hong in a statement.

Citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the panel said "the adequate remedy would be to ensure the right of free movement of Mr. Assange and accord him an enforceable right to compensation."

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino renewed his calls for the U.K. and Sweden to free the WikiLeaks founder.

He said the panel's decision "shows clearly that we are talking about political persecution."

Assange's lawyers said he must be allowed to walk free immediately and given protection from possible extradition to the United States.

Lawyer Melinda Taylor said the finding shows that Assange has been subjected to mental torture throughout his long ordeal and now faces round-the-clock overt and covert surveillance while seeking safety at the embassy.

Information for this article was contributed by Jan M. Olsen and Jill Lawless of The Associated Press.

A Section on 02/06/2016

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