Prosecutors have managed to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange about a possible sex crime in Sweden six years ago.

The closed-door proceedings took place on Monday at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Assange has been living there for more than four years. The long-delayed interview is expected to continue on Tuesday and could extend beyond that. Assange's version of events, and a possible DNA sample, will shape Swedish prosecutors' decision on whether to charge him.

Swedish officials are seeking information related to allegations of sexual misconduct made by two Swedish women Assange met in 2010. Assange's Swedish defense lawyer has been barred from the hearing. But another lawyer says Assange was compelled to take the opportunity to give his side of the story.

"We're obviously happy that he's finally been given the opportunity to give his side of the story, but we've been waiting six years for him to have that opportunity, six years in which he's been held under house arrest, he's been held inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, in circumstances the UN has said amount to inhuman and degrading treatment, in circumstances the UN has found to be arbitrary detention, this has gone on far too long," said Jennifer Robinson, lawyer for Julian Assange.