19 June 2015 marks three years since Julian Assange, an Australian citizen, entered the embassy of Ecuador in London. He was granted political asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention due the ongoing espionage case against him in the United States. Mr. Assange risks extradition to the US from both the UK and Sweden.
Mr. Assange has been detained—without charge—in prison, under house arrest and in the embassy for nearly five years. He has not seen the sun in three years as the embassy has no outdoor area. His rights have been severely abused, as have the rights of his young family. Fifty nine legal and civil rights organizations have complained to the United Nations about his treatment in the last year alone. The UN will shortly issue a finding as to whether Mr. Assange’s situation formally amounts to „arbitrary detention“—which is unlawful under any circumstances. A number of criminal cases have been filed in Europe (including in Denmark, Germany and Sweden) in response to illicit state action against him by the US government and its allies including the use of unlawful surveillance and the payment of cash bribes to illegally obtain evidence.
Both the UK and Sweden refuse to provide legal or diplomatic assurances not to extradite Mr. Assange to the US (in violation of their obligations under the Refugee Convention), despite repeated requests by Ecuador and NGOs, including Amnesty International.