Assange asserts that UN panel’s opinion means he should walk free
LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Friday urged Britain and Sweden to let him walk free from Ecuador’s embassy in London, after a United Nations (UN) panel found that the antisecrecy campaigner was "arbitrarily detained".Addressing a press conference via video link from the embassy, where he sought refuge in June 2012 and was later granted asylum, Mr Assange hailed a "significant victory, which has brought a smile to my face"."It is now the task of the states of Sweden and the UK as a whole to implement the verdict," the Australian told a packed room of journalists in the British capital.His comments came after a UN panel said Mr Assange’s detention should end and that he should be able to claim compensation from the UK and Sweden, where he faces questioning over a rape allegation.But both countries quickly dismissed the nonbinding legal opinion, with the UK’s Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, calling it "ridiculous" and Sweden’s foreign ministry saying the panel had no righ...
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