UN announces that Julian Assange is unlawfully detained https://t.co/C5moqbA9an
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 5, 2016
More: https://t.co/Mb6gXlz7QS pic.twitter.com/iKWnyUS8LB
.@Wikileaks founder Julian #Assange has been arbitrarily detained by Sweden & UK — UN #humanrights panel finds https://t.co/rIGQzM2lLH
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 5, 2016
"On 4 December 2015, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted Opinion No. 54/2015, in which it considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," the UN panel said in the statement.
Press release: Julian #Assange's arbitrary detention is the "result of legal action against him by both Governments" https://t.co/8R2KZdaDed
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 5, 2016
"The Working Group considered that Mr. Assange has been subjected to different forms of deprivation of liberty: initial detention in Wandsworth prison which was followed by house arrest and his confinement at the Ecuadorian Embassy."
— Sputnik UK (@SputnikNewsUK) February 5, 2016
Activist Jim Curran has held vigil for #Assange for 3 yrs & doesn't think the #Wikileaks founder will come out today pic.twitter.com/yWLSKmeEow
— Sputnik UK (@SputnikNewsUK) February 5, 2016
"Having concluded that there was a continuous deprivation of liberty, the Working Group also found that the detention was arbitrary because he was held in isolation during the first stage of detention and because of the lack of diligence by the Swedish Prosecutor in its investigations, which resulted in the lengthy detention of Mr. Assange," the statement read.
UN releases statement saying that #Assange decision is 'legally binding' https://t.co/0KCGVrtTJV More: https://t.co/Mb6gXlz7QS
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 5, 2016
According to the statement "the Working Group therefore requested Sweden and the United Kingdom to assess the situation of Mr. Assange to ensure his safety and physical integrity, to facilitate the exercise of his right to freedom of movement in an expedient manner, and to ensure the full enjoyment of his rights guaranteed by the international norms on detention. The Working Group also considered that the detention should be brought to an end and that Mr. Assange should be afforded the right to compensation."
However, findings by the group are not directly legally binding.