News Obiaks News

A Westminster Magistrates Court on Tuesday rejected a legal attempt to withdraw his UK arrest warrant by Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder.

Assange's lawyers argued to the court that the warrant, issued back in 2012, had lost it's purpose. The warrant was issued when the Wikileaks founder breached bail conditions by seeking asylum in Ecuador's embassy in London. Assange has been living in the Ecuadorean embassy for more than five years and earlier this month, the UK government denied his diplomatic status request, asking him to face justice.

Julian Assange skipped bail conditions to avoid extradiction to Sweden where he was facinga rape allegation which he denied, though the case has been dropped. The British authorities still holds Assange responsible and believes he remains in breach of his bail conditions, an offence  which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison.

If he were to leave Ecuador's embassy, Assange would face arrest by British police.