25 May, 2017
Assange, who is expected to make an official statement from his Ecuadorean embassy hideout in London, used social media to vent his anger, hours after the Swedish prosecution made a decision to drop its rape investigation against him.
Assange faces arrest by British police on charges of skipping bail and also fears extradition to the United States over WikiLeaks' publication of top secret USA military and diplomatic documents.
Mr Assange said the United Kingdom had refused to confirm or deny whether there is a warrant from the US for his extradition, insisting he was happy to talk to the US Justice Department. "That is not something I can forgive, it is not something I can forget".
Meanwhile the London Metropolitan Police has said it was still obliged to arrest Mr Assange should he leave the embassy since there is still an active warrant for a lesser charge.
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"Today is an important victory", he told the throng of journalists camped outside the embassy, a stone's throw from the Harrods department store.
Assange claimed he has the basic right to seek asylum like everyone else and that the decision of the British police is unaccpetable.
In 2015, the sexual assault charges against Assange were dropped after the statue of limitations expired, but the rape investigation remained open until Friday. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said arresting Assange is a priority, though he has not yet been charged.
Yesterday Swedish prosecutors announced they would discontinue their investigation into the claim.
- Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) May 19, 2017Detained for 7 years without charge by while my children grew up and my name was slandered. He took refuge there after a failed bid to avoid extradition to Sweden. In one of his final acts before leaving office in January, then-US President Barack Obama commuted Manning's 35-year prison sentence. He claimed they were made up as part of a plot to see him extradited to the USA over his involvement with WikiLeaks. Asked if she would support Britain extraditing him to the USA, the prime minister replied: "We look at extradition requests when we receive them on a case by case basis".
It is not yet freedom for WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange.
