Stockholm, May 26 (RHC)-- Despite international condemnation, Sweden insists on moving forward with arbitrary proceedings against the internationally renowned journalists.  A Swedish lower court upheld on Wednesday the arrest warrant for illegally "detained" WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying the stay at Ecuador's London embassy did not equal detention.

"The district court finds that there is still probable cause for the suspicion against JA (Julian Assange) for rape, less serious incident, and that there is still a risk that he will depart or in some other way evade prosecution or penalty," the court said in a statement.

One of Assange's Swedish lawyers, Thomas Olsson, said the decision will in all likelihood be appealed.  Assange, who is now 44-years-old, is wanted by Swedish authorities for questioning over allegations, which he denies, that he committed rape in 2010.

The internationally renowned journalist, who enraged U.S. authorities by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables exposing massive violations to international law and covert violations of various countries' sovereignties, has been illegally holed up in the embassy since June 2012.

In March, Ecuador spoke out against the hypocrisy of the United Nations over the illegal detention of Assange.  "Since its creation, this (Human Rights) Council has been the most representative forum for debate and international agreements on human rights around the world,” said Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Ecuador’s ambassador to the United Nations.

A U.N. panel found last month that Assange, who has found refuge in London’s Ecuadorian embassy since 2012, was arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the United Kingdom. No action has been taken to free Assange, but academics,lawyers and politicians have demanded that the European countries respect the United Nations ruling.