Prison conditions for Julian Assange are putting his life ‘at risk’: UN expert – FRANCE 24 English

Issued on: 01/11/2019 - 16:19Modified: 01/11/2019 - 16:34

The treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is facing the threat of extradition from Britain to the US on espionage charges, is putting his life at risk, an independent UN rights expert said Friday.

Unless the UK urgently changes course and alleviates his inhumane situation, Mr. Assanges continued exposure to arbitrariness and abuse may soon end up costing his life, the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Nils Melzer, said in a statement.

Melzer, who visited the 48-year-old Australian whistleblower in a London prison on May 9, nearly a month after his arrest at Ecuadors embassy where he had been holed up for seven years, has previously warned he was being subjected to drawn-out psychological torture.

The independent expert, who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations, has not met Assange since, but he told AFP in an email that his growing concern was based on new medically relevant information received from several reliable sources.

This information, he said, indicated that Mr Assanges health has entered a downward spiral of progressively severe anxiety, stress and helplessness typical for persons exposed to prolonged isolation and constant arbitrariness.

Life-threatening

While the precise evolution is difficult to predict with certainty, this pattern of symptoms can quickly develop into a life threatening situation involving cardiovascular breakdown or nervous collapse, he warned.

In Fridays statement, Melzer pointed out that he in May had demanded that London immediately take measures to protect Assanges health and dignity.

However, what we have seen from the UK Government is outright contempt for Mr. Assanges rights and integrity, he said.

Despite the medical urgency of my appeal, and the seriousness of the alleged violations, the UK has not undertaken any measures of investigation, prevention and redress required under international law, he charged.

Assange continues to be detained under oppressive conditions of isolation and surveillance, not justified by his detention status, he said.

His statement pointed out that Assange had completed his prison sentence for violating his British bail terms in 2012 and was now being held exclusively in relation to the pending extradition request from the United States.

Assange is facing the extradition request by the US over charges he violated the US Espionage Act by publishing a huge cache of military and diplomatic files in 2010.

While the US Government prosecutes Mr. Assange for publishing information about serious human rights violations, including torture and murder, the officials responsible for these crimes continue to enjoy impunity, Melzer said.

He also decried that despite the complexity of the proceedings against him led by the worlds most powerful Government, Mr. Assanges access to legal counsel and documents has been severely obstructed.

This, he said, had effectively undermined his most fundamental right to prepare his defence.

In his appeal, Melzer urged London to bar Assanges extradition to the US, and demanded that he be promptly released and allowed to recover his health and rebuild his personal and professional life.

(AFP)

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Prison conditions for Julian Assange are putting his life 'at risk': UN expert - FRANCE 24 English