Julian Assange’s legal team say his expulsion from Ecuador embassy would be ‘illegal’

Julian Assange's legal team has said it would be "illegal" to expel the WikiLeaks founder from the Ecuadorian embassy and violate "international refuge law".

Assange has been residing in the London embassy since 2012 but it was revealed late on Thursday that Ecuador officials were readying to expel him from the premises and turn him over to British police, according to WikiLeaks.

However, his legal team has criticised the reportedly impending decision after Ecuador's foreign ministry refused to comment on the situation. 

"It will be a sad day for democracy if the UK and Ecuadorean governments are willing to act as accomplices to the Trump administration's determination to prosecute a publisher for publishing truthful information," a statement read.

WikiLeaks tweeted on Thursday that the Ecuadorian embassy were prepared to force Assange out within "hours or days", but so far that has not happened. 

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt told reporters that Assange "is a free man" and "can leave the embassy whenever he wants to." "We want the situation resolved as quickly as possible," he added.