U.N. demands Julian Assange be freed, compensated for years lost

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been sheltering in London's Ecuadorian embassy since June 2012; Assange first sought asylum from British and Swedish authorities following accusations of rape during a visit to Sweden in 2010. However, in a ruling Friday, the U.N. Working Group of Arbitrary Detention decided that Assange has been "arbitrarily detained" by Britain and Sweden since 2010, and that he should be freed immediately and compensated for the years he has lost, The Associated Press reports.

The U.N. panel pointed out that Assange had never formally been charged by Sweden — he was only sought for the "preliminary investigation" — and called the European arrest warrant issued by Stockholm "disproportionate."

Britain and Sweden have both been incredulous of the U.N.'s ruling. "This changes nothing. We completely reject any claim that Julian Assange is a victim of arbitrary detention. Julian Assange has never been arbitrarily detained by the U.K. The opinion of the U.N. Working Group ignores the facts and the well-recognized protections of the British legal system," the British Foreign Office said in a statement. They maintain that they will still arrest Assange if he leaves the embassy.

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It is unclear if after facing questioning in Sweden Assange would then be turned over to the United States, where his legal status is uncertain.