Five star town home. Five star dining. Private chef. These are just a few of the many plush amenities Julian Assange may enjoy as he lives in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. This voluntary stay at the embassy is by no means a detention.

An article which ran Feb. 10, decrying Assange’s stint in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, was very interesting. I think that it is always useful to see the perspective of students and others who care about these issues as these are discussions that need to happen in spaces beyond the United Nations.

But in the end, his stay was his choice. Assange is free to walk out of the embassy, just as he freely walked into it. Characterizing his stay as a detention is just a dishonest attempt on his part to reframe his attempts at evading the international justice system. 

After losing his appeal to the U.K.’s Supreme Court against extradition to Sweden, where a judicial investigation was initiated against him in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct,  Assange  sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in an effort to evade the law. Ecuador, and an administration led by President Rafael Correa, continues to expand its state control over media and civil society and harass, abuse and intimidate its critics. While also being known for picking and choosing which international laws it wants to follow, it graciously accepted  Assange’s request who has been living in the embassy since June 2012. 

Assange is not free to escape the institution of law that governs modern society no matter how much he tries to evade it. Assange is seeking solace in the very same institutions that he originally intended to expose.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention paper is a political ploy meant to stir the pot on an issue that does not warrant their attention. This is the same group that stated in their application of General Assembly Resolution 60/251 that the government of Ecuador needed to provide their judicial branch with the funding required to ensure an appropriate administration of justice in the country.

It is a shame that Assange’s situation has been blown so out of proportion. The case should have been resolved long ago. A man has been charged with sexual assault, and he is attempting to use his infamy as a smokescreen to prevent the proper administration of justice. And, frustratingly, that smokescreen has succeeded — no one can see the case for what it is.

Assange’s stay at the Ecuadorian embassy is his choice and if he wants out, he should leave the same way he went in — through the front door.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Jarret Freeman is an NGO Representative to the United Nations Economic & Social Council.