The United Nations has ruled on Friday that Julian Assange is being arbitrarily detained in the United Kingdom. However, the British government is refusing to budge, insisting that the Wikileaks founder will be arrested if he leaves the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been granted asylum.
On his part, Assange insists that he will demand his passport following the ruling. The UK is legally obliged to arrest Assange as a result of a European arrest warrant issued by Sweden over allegations of rape. Assange has thanked his lawyers for their hard work. He added that he misses his family, and that it has been “difficult” to see them.His legal team claims that the treatment he has received from the Swedish and UK government amounts to “mental torture.”
The WikiLeaks founder singled out Phillip Hammond, who said earlier that the UN was “ridiculous” for saying that Assange was being detained. Assange said Hammond was “beneath the stature of a Foreign minister” Lawyer Jennifer Robinson spoke of the possibility of Assange’s Australian passport being returned to him, saying that the meeting with the Foreign Minister was “very positive.”
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