Julian Assange is being 'unlawfully detained,' UN group rules

Britain today signalled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange still faces arrest if he leaves Ecuador’s London embassy, regardless of an expected UN ruling in his favour.

Officials confirmed the UK is not bound by any decision of a UN working group which is believed to have found Assange is being “unlawfully detained”.

They said the UK is still obliged to extradite him to Sweden to face a rape allegation and police maintain they will make “every effort” to arrest him if sets foot outside the embassy.

Today Assange promised to hand himself in if the UN group ruled against him, but said he expected to walk free if it ruled in his favour. The 44-year-old Australian has been holed up in the embassy in Knightsbridge for more than three years.

A British government source said: “The allegation of rape is still outstanding. The European Arrest Warrant is still in place. So there is still an obligation to extradite him to Sweden. The decision by the UN working group is not legally binding.”

A Met spokesman said the operation to arrest Assange was ongoing and “should he leave the embassy the MPS will make every effort to arrest him.”

In 2014 Assange filed a complaint with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which has been exploring his case.

He argued that living in 30 square metres of the embassy with no sunlight or fresh air had taken a “significant toll” on his mental health.

The panel has made previous rulings on whether individuals have been imprisoned lawfully, although it has no direct remit over British or Swedish authorities.

While its official announcement is not expected until tomorrow, it was reported today that it had decided Assange was being “unlawfully detained” in Britain.