A U.N. human rights working group has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been "arbitrarily detained" at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, but the group has no authority over British police seeking to arrest him.
The working group announced its findings Friday, some three-and-a-half years after Assange took refuge in the embassy to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden on rape charges.
British authorities have not yet responded to the ruling.
On Thursday, Swedish prosecutors predicted the U.N. ruling and said Assange's confinement has no impact on the rape case against him in Sweden.
Assange, who is Australian, published on WikiLeaks a number of leaked diplomatic cables and other sensitive documents the United States considers classified information. It was one of the largest information leaks in U.S. history.