WikiLeaks' Assange 'unlawfully detained' in Ecuador embassy, U.N. panel to rule

[GennGreymane]

http://www.reuters.com/article/ecuad...-idUSKCN0VD0B9

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's three-and-a-half-year stay in the Ecuadorian embassy in London amounts to 'unlawful detention', a United Nations panel examining his appeal will rule on Friday, the BBC reported.

Assange, a former computer hacker who has been holed up in the embassy since June 2012, told the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that he was a political refugee whose rights had been infringed by being unable to take up asylum in Ecuador.

Reuters was unable immediately to confirm the BBC report and the UN said the panel's opinion, which is not legally binding, was due to be published on Friday.

Britain said it had never arbitrarily detained Assange and that the Australian had voluntarily avoided arrest by jumping bail to flee to the embassy.

It said Assange will be arrested if he leaves the embassy and then extradited to Sweden for questioning over allegations of rape in 2010. Assange denies the rape allegations.

"Should the U.N. announce tomorrow that I have lost my case against the United Kingdom and Sweden, I shall exit the embassy at noon on Friday to accept arrest by British police as there is no meaningful prospect of further appeal," Assange said in a statement posted on the Wikileaks Twitter account.

"However, 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."

A decision in his favor would mark the latest twist in a tumultuous journey for Assange since he incensed the United States and its allies by using his WikiLeaks website to leak hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic and military cables in 2010, disclosures that often embarrassed Washington.

Assange, 44, fears Sweden will extradite him to the United States, where he could be put on trial over WikiLeaks' publication of the classified military and diplomatic documents, one of the largest information leaks in U.S. history.

He made international headlines in early 2010 when WikiLeaks published classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters that killed a dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff.

Later that year, the group released over 90,000 secret documents detailing the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, followed by almost 400,000 internal U.S. military reports detailing operations in Iraq.

Those disclosures were followed by the release of more than 250,000 classified cables from U.S. embassies. It would go on to add almost three million more diplomatic cables dating back to 1973.

POLITICAL REFUGEE?

In his submission to the U.N. working group, a body of outside experts, Assange argued that his time in the embassy constituted arbitrary detention.

Assange says he is the victim of a witch hunt directed by the United States and that his fate is a test case for freedom of expression.

He said that he had been deprived of his fundamental liberties, including lack of access to sunlight or fresh air, adequate medical facilities, as well as legal and procedural insecurity.

"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 Ecuadorean embassy," a British government spokeswoman said.

"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," she said.

Per Samuelson, one of Assange's Swedish lawyers, said if the U.N. panel judged Assange's time in the embassy to be custody, he should be released immediately.

"It is a very important body that would be then saying that Sweden's actions are inconsistent with the European Convention on Human Rights. And it is international common practice to follow those decisions," Samuelson told Reuters.

Since Assange's confinement, WikiLeaks has continued to publish documents on topics such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the world's biggest multinational trade deals, which was signed by 12 member nations on Thursday in New Zealand.

[stomination]

http://www.reuters.com/article/ecuad...-idUSKCN0VD0B9

In no way is that place like a prison. Its his choice to stay there instead of seeing his day in court.

[Deleted]

I'm still hoping he escapes by flying out the window with a rockepack.

[Redfingers]

I thought they meant the UK government breached the embassy and physically arrested him. Yeah, this is completely different, and a novel case unlikely to mean anything.

In practical terms, yes and obviously, but also no because technically they don't want him in the embassy because they can't get at him, they want to arrest him for releasing sensitive information on UK/US governments.

[Venant]

In no way is that place like a prison. Its his choice to stay there instead of seeing his day in court.

It's too bad that journalism is dead and replaced with the corporate media, which is why we need people like Assange.

Furthermore, 'day in court' seems to imply that the whole process isn't just the equivalent of a show trial.

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I thought they meant the UK government breached the embassy and physically arrested him. Yeah, this is completely different, and a novel case unlikely to mean anything.

In practical terms, yes and obviously, but also no because technically they don't want him in the embassy because they can't get at him, they want to arrest him for releasing sensitive information on UK/US governments.

Yeah, the UK engaged in some really shady business on behalf of their oil interests in Libya, which was part of the 'sensitive information' that was leaked

[caervek]

Its his choice to stay there instead of seeing his day in court.

Indeed, no idea what the UN are thinking here. A scumbag rapist hides out in an embassy to avoid being tried for his crime (and makes up some nonsense about how the USA are out to get him) and all of a sudden he's being unlawfully detained? he's the one detaining himself lol.

[Independent voter]

I'm still hoping he escapes by flying out the window with a rockepack.

Or on a broom.

Whatever happened to Wikileaks anyway. I heard there was a lot of internal conflict after Julian moved into the Uruguay Embassy. Some said Julian didn't want to redact the names of informants from the leaked documents so these people were murdered by their governments. Julian said it was the price of working with the US.

[Deleted]

Like said, no one listens to "UN ruling".

It literally means nothing to anyone.

[Deleted]

"Assange argued that his time in the embassy constituted arbitrary detention."

LOL nobody force him to stay in the embassy.... he stay there by his own will.....

[stomination]

It's too bad that journalism is dead and replaced with the corporate media, which is why we need people like Assange.

Furthermore, 'day in court' seems to imply that the whole process isn't just the equivalent of a show trial.

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Yeah, the UK engaged in some really shady business on behalf of their oil interests in Libya, which was part of the 'sensitive information' that was leaked

And you completely ignore the rape part.

[Theinquisition]

Or on a broom.

Whatever happened to Wikileaks anyway. I heard there was a lot of internal conflict after Julian moved into the Uruguay Embassy. Some said Julian didn't want to redact the names of informants from the leaked documents so these people were murdered by their governments. Julian said it was the price of working with the US.

If that's the case he deserves a snipers bullet to the nuts

[ellieg]

I hope he goes to prison for the rest of his life

[Venant]

I hope he goes to prison for the rest of his life

Why? People like him are performing the work that journalists used to perform. It's a messy business, and would work out far better if there were honest large institutions that would play the part of the fourth estate and reveal corruption and crimes related to the government. Unfortunately, you end up with small groups that do data dumps because they have nowhere near the resources you need in order to thoroughly investigate the leaks.

I'd rather not the government just turn into a giant black box that is able to carry out a multitude of crimes in secret, that is the surest way of ending up in some version of a totalitarian nightmare.

[ellieg]

Why? People like him are performing the work that journalists used to perform. It's a messy business, and would work out far better if there were honest large institutions that would play the part of the fourth estate and reveal corruption and crimes related to the government. Unfortunately, you end up with small groups that do data dumps because they have nowhere near the resources you need in order to thoroughly investigate the leaks.

I'd rather not the government just turn into a giant black box that is able to carry out a multitude of crimes in secret, that is the surest way of ending up in some version of a totalitarian nightmare.

Its people like him that are directly responsible for people being killed. Would it have killed him to edit out some of the names?

Every single government spies on other governments. Every government does illegal shit. I don't think you are ever going to stop that. Go ahead and release information. Don't release specific names of innocents. Don't release troop locations.

[turboether]

Add this to the ever-growing list of 'things the UN say that nobody gives a shit about.'

[stomination]

Why? People like him are performing the work that journalists used to perform. It's a messy business, and would work out far better if there were honest large institutions that would play the part of the fourth estate and reveal corruption and crimes related to the government. Unfortunately, you end up with small groups that do data dumps because they have nowhere near the resources you need in order to thoroughly investigate the leaks.

I'd rather not the government just turn into a giant black box that is able to carry out a multitude of crimes in secret, that is the surest way of ending up in some version of a totalitarian nightmare.

The thing is real journalist didn't give names out that would get people killed. They just ratted out the officials who would get arrested of fired.

[Dug]

Changes nothing for his situation, he'll still be nabbed the second he lets his guard down

[Destump]

Every single government spies on other governments. Every government does illegal shit. I don't think you are ever going to stop that. Go ahead and release information. Don't release specific names of innocents. Don't release troop locations.

so, do you agree with governments spying? do you agree with them doing illegal shit? I agree that he shouldn't have released the names of innocents, but he did the right thing with releasing troop locations.

The us government needs to be held accountable for all the horrors they have committed. just because you are a happy sheep that doesnt want to know anything, doesnt mean the rest of us are.

And the us government has to moral highground. Until they stop with every single illegal activity around the world, things like troop locations NEED to be released. And the fact that they actively hunt whistleblowers shows just how immoral they are.

A big reason the us government hunts them is because they ,,compromised national security'' which is VERY hypocritical seeing as the us government doesnt give a damn about other countries' national security. Point being, you shouldn't whine about national security when your country bombs other countries all day long. the us doesnt deserve national security.

[Deleted]

Changes nothing for his situation, he'll still be nabbed the second he lets his guard down

and then the police get him and the prosecutor ask did you rape here? and he say no, it will go no future, because a Swedish curt never judge guilty If the prosecutor only have words vs words as only evidence.

[Deleted]

And you completely ignore the rape part.

I remember at the time it was pretty clear those were false reports to have him extradited.