Ecuador said Friday that Britain and Sweden must allow WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to walk free from its London embassy, after a UN panel ruled his confinement amounted to arbitrary detention.

"It is time for both governments (Britain and Sweden) to correct their mistake, time for them to allow Julian Assange his freedom, time for them to end this arbitrary detention and furthermore compensate the damage done to this man," Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told a press conference.