WikiLeaks founder Assange rebuffed in bid to quash British arrest warrant
Julian Assange
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appears on the balcony of the Embassy of Ecuador in London in May 2017. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images)
Julian Assange on Tuesday lost a second bid to quash a British arrest warrant  another setback for the WikiLeaks founder who has spent almost six years holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London.
They also said the last five years that  Assange  has spent holed up in the embassy amounted to “adequate  if not severe  punishment” for skipping bail. The lawyers cited a U.N. panel on detentions that described  Assange  as “arbitrarily detained.”
[German hacker offers rare glimpse into  Assange ’s world]
“I find arrest is a proportionate response even though  Mr. Assange  has restricted  his  own freedom for a number of years ” the judge said.
“Defendants on bail up and down the country  and requested persons facing extradition  come to court to face the consequences of their own choices ” she said. “ He  should have the courage to do the same. It is certainly not against the public interest to proceed.”
After the ruling  Assange claimed there were “significant factual errors in the judgment” and suggested  he  might appeal.
“There are 3 months to appeal UK ruling ”  he  wrote in a Twitter message.
Even if the bail arrest warrant were lifted  it is unknown whether  Assange  would leave the embassy or where  he  would go. It is also unclear if  he  would immediately face extradition requests if  he  stepped foutside the embassy  which is monitored by security cameras.
 Assange  has long argued that there is an effort underway in the United States to charge  him  for  his  role in publishing classified U.S. documents.
It is not publicly known whether there is a sealed indictment against  Assange  under the 1917 Espionage Act. The Justice Department has previously debated the case against  him .
Media reports have suggested a sometimes strained relationship between  Assange  and  his  hosts. At one point  Ecuador severed  Assange ’s Internet connection over concerns that WikiLeaks was meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election after the anti-secrecy website published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee.
[TGT] appears on the balcony of the Embassy of Ecuador in London in May 2017. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images)
[TGT] on Tuesday lost a second bid to quash a British arrest warrant  another setback for the WikiLeaks founder who has spent almost six years holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London.
They also said the last five years that  [TGT]has spent holed up in the embassy amounted to “adequate  if not severe  punishment” for skipping bail. The lawyers cited a U.N. panel on detentions that described  [TGT]as “arbitrarily detained.”
[German hacker offers rare glimpse into  [TGT] ’s world]
“I find arrest is a proportionate response even though  [TGT]has restricted  [TGT]  own freedom for a number of years ” the judge said.
“Defendants on bail up and down the country  and requested persons facing extradition  come to court to face the consequences of their own choices ” she said. “ He  should have the courage to do the same. It is certainly not against the public interest to proceed.”
After [TGT] claimed there were “significant factual errors in the judgment” and suggested  he  might appeal.
“There are 3 months to appeal UK ruling ”  he  wrote in a Twitter message.
Even if the bail arrest warrant were lifted  it is unknown whether  Assange  would leave the embassy or where  he  would go. It is also unclear if [TGT][TGT]  would immediately face extradition requests if  [TGT]  stepped foutside the embassy  which is monitored by security cameras.
 Assange  has long argued that there is an effort underway in the United States to charge  him  for  his  role in publishing classified U.S. documents.
It is not publicly known whether there is a sealed indictment against  Assange  under the 1917 Espionage Act. The Justice Department has previously debated the case against  him .
Media reports have suggested a sometimes strained relationship between  Assange  and  his  hosts. At one point  Ecuador severed  Assange ’s Internet connection over concerns that WikiLeaks was meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election after the anti-secrecy website published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee.