UK PM says UN panel decision on Assange detention ‘ridiculous’February 10, 2016 - 18:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Julian Assange should leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London and submit himself to a Swedish arrest warrant over allegations of rape to bring an end to “this whole sorry saga”, UK Prime Minister said, according to the Guardian. David Cameron dismissed as “ridiculous” the findings of a UN panel that the WikiLeaks founder had been subject to arbitrary detention as he said that Assange had in fact detained himself. “What he should do is come out of that embassy and face the arrest warrant that is against him,” Cameron told MPs. “He is being asked to stand trial in Sweden, a country with a fair reputation for justice and he should bring to an end this whole sorry saga.” The Geneva-based UN working group on arbitrary detention had called on Britain and Sweden to end Assange’s “deprivation of liberty”. The countries last week rejected the findings by the panel, which said that Assange had been arbitrarily detained since his arrest in 2010 and during his stay at the Ecuadorian embassy in the Knightsbridge area of central London where he sought asylum in June 2012. Assange is wanted for questioning over an allegation of rape in 2010, which he denies. Cameron said: “I think this was a ridiculous decision. You’ve got a man here with an outstanding allegation of rape against him. He barricaded himself into the Ecuadorian embassy and yet claims he was arbitrarily detained. The only person who detained himself was himself.” Photo: The Guardian Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia |