The British government has officially rebutted a UN panel’s finding that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had been arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the UK.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) issued a non-binding legal opinion last month, ruling that the whistleblower should be allowed to walk free and compensated for his “deprivation of liberty.”
UNWGAD said Assange’s living conditions violated his human, civil and political rights.
London, which had instantly dismissed the ruling as “ridiculous,” submitted a formal response on Thursday, urging the panel to reconsider its conclusions.
“The working group’s opinion is deeply flawed and Mr. Assange has never been the subject of arbitrary detention,” the UK Foreign Office said. “His human rights have been protected throughout.”
Assange, 44, has taken refuge inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012, after losing a legal battle against extradition to Sweden, where…