UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has dismissed a UN panel’s ruling that Julian Assange should be allowed to go free, saying that their ruling is “ridiculous”. The UN panel said that Assange had been “arbitrarily detained” and should receive compensation from the British government. BBC News reports: Philip Hammond rejected the decision, accusing Mr Assange of evading justice. Mr Assange hailed it as a “significant victory”, but the UK government insisted the ruling was not legally binding and the report “changes nothing”. The 44-year-old Australian was originally arrested in London in 2010 under a European arrest warrant issued by Sweden over rape and sexual assault allegations. Two years later, while on bail, he claimed asylum inside the Ecuadorean embassy in Knightsbridge. ‘Historical importance’ Reading a statement via a video link from the embassy, Mr Assange said the opinion of the panel was “vindication”, adding: “The lawfulness of my detention is now a matter of settled law.” He later addressed a crowd from a balcony at the Ecuadorean embassy, hailing the decision a “victory of historical importance”. This writes a pass for every dictatorship to reject UN rulings. Dangerous precedent for UK/Sweden to set. #Assange https://t.co/3XZxFrfEBI — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February [...]