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

Julian Assange
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.