Assange to surrender if UN decision goes against him
Julian Assange has said that he will hand himself over to British and Swedish authorities if the United Nations announces he has lost his case against arrest on Friday.
In a statement on the WikiLeaks Twitter feed, Assange said he would leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London at noon local time "to accept arrest by British police, as there is no meaningful prospect of further appeal".
The outcome of a United Nations investigation into his case is expected to be revealed on Friday, and could rule that he is being detained illegally.
Assange said that if the investigation goes against him, he will hand himself over.
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"However, should I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return [of] my passport, and the termination of further attempts to arrest me," he said in his statement.
Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for more than three years having been granted political asylum by the Ecuador government after failing to win his battle against extradition to Sweden in UK courts.
The Australian is wanted for questioning in Sweden over one sex assault allegation, which he has always denied.
After spending years guarding him, London's Metropolitan Police Service said in October last year that it would no longer maintain an active police presence guarding the Ecuadoran embassy, and would instead use a "number of overt and covert tactics" to arrest Assange.
"The MPS has to balance the interests of justice in this case with the ongoing risks to the safety of Londoners and all those we protect, investigating crime and arresting offenders wanted for serious offences, in deciding what a proportionate response is," the police service said.
During the lead up to the 2013 Australian election, Assange launched the WikiLeaks Party in an attempt to secure a Senate seat in Victoria. After failing to secure a Senate place anywhere in Australia, the party was deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission in July last year.
In August 2014, Assange said that he would be leaving the embassy soon.
With AAP