Julian Assange - UN Rules in His Favour?

[Magda Hassan]

Mmmmm....the UN investigation was put under considerable pressure hey?

The former chair of the UNWGAD panel, the Norwegian lawyer Professor Mads Andenas, told Owen Bowcott that the expert lawyers and members of the group had come under considerable political pressure from the US and UK when compiling the highly critical report.

Andenas completed his term in office last summer but was involved in earlier stages of compiling the report on Assange's arbitrary detention. He endorsed the broad result of the findings released on Friday.
"I'm absolutely convinced that [the panel] has been put under very string political pressure," he said.
"This is a courageous decision which is important for the international rule of law.
"This is a clear, and for people who read it, an obvious, decision. It's an outcome of a judicial process in which Sweden and the UK have taken part. It was before a specialist body at the UN, the only UN body dealing with arbitrary detention."
There was a clear finding under Article Nine of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that Assange is subject to arbitrary detention, he explained.
"If this finding had been made against any other country with a human rights record that one does not wish to compare oneself with, then these states [Sweden and UK] would have made it clear that the [offending] country should comply with the ruling of the working group. It's not a good thing for any country to get a ruling for arbitrary detention against it.
"For the international human rights system to function, states must abide by the rulings. There's no other way to deal with it. If the state is in violation of international law, it's for the state to find ways to give effect to the [panel's] decision."

http://www.theguardian.com/media/live/20...c9440d9434