UN expert demands Assange's release, 10 years on

A UN rights expert on Tuesday urged Britain to release Julian Assange immediately following a decade of "arbitrary detention", insisting the WikiLeaks founder should await a decision on extradition to the United States outside prison.

The 49-year-old Australian was first arrested 10 years ago on December 7, 2010.

He is currently being held in the top-security Belmarsh jail in London awaiting the next hearing, due on January 4, on a US extradition request, in a case seen by his supporters as a cause celebre for media freedom.

"The British authorities initially detained Mr Assange on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by Sweden in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct that have since been formally dropped due to lack of evidence," said UN human rights expert Nils Melzer.

"Today, he is detained for exclusively preventative purposes," said Melzer, the special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

"Mr Assange is not a criminal convict and poses no threat to anyone, so his prolonged solitary confinement in a high-security prison is neither necessary nor proportionate and clearly lacks any legal basis."

UN rights experts do...