Julian Assange exhibits symptoms of "psychological torture", says UN torture expert

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1 June 2019|The Interregnum|Mohamed Elmaazi

After visiting Julian Assange in Britain’s notorious Belmarsh prison, the UN expert on torture has said that the publisher shows all the signs of, “prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma”.

Featured image via Ruptly-YouTube

On 31 May 2019 the UN expert on torture warned against the UK extraditing journalist and publisher Julian Assange to the US where he faces 17 new charges:

“under the Espionage Act, which currently carry up to 175 years in prison.”

“Collective persecution of Julian #Assange must end now. My most urgent concern is that, in the United States, Mr. Assange would be exposed to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights,"- Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on #Torture

➡https://t.co/7SKpiqUM11 pic.twitter.com/e0CwLzs6B7

— UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) May 31, 2019

Assange has been subjected to an “extremely hostile and arbitrary environment”

Mr Nils Melzer, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, said:

“It was obvious that Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years”

The UN has repeatedly found that the UK, US, and Sweden arbitrarily detained Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also demanded that the UK allow Assange to freely travel to Ecuador, further to his grant of diplomatic asylum. A ruling which the British executive and judicial branch of government simply ignored.

Melzer: Assange shows “all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture”

Melzer, who was accompanied by two medical experts, visited Assange who has been moved to Belmarsh Prison’s medical unit. He also spoke to RT about his visit to Belmarsh, in an interview which will be broadcast in full on 1 June 2019.

“Julian Assange showed all the symptoms that are typical for a person that has been exposed to prolonged PSYCHOLOGICAL TORTURE!” ⚠️

UN Rapporteur on Torture @NilsMelzer gives his assessment on @Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange’s treatment and condition

SATURDAY ON RT! pic.twitter.com/rORuHdBIN0

— Going Underground on RT (@Underground_RT) May 31, 2019

He explained that:

“in addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma.”

It has yet to be explained why Assange, a man found guilty of skipping bail – an offence which rarely results in a custodial sentence, continues to be held in Britain’s notorious Belmarsh prison.

A prison built on “dehumanising” the detained

Cerie Bullivant, a one time detainee at Belmarsh who would later be completely exonerated, told this author that:

“Belmarsh like much of our prison system is built on dehumanising those detained. My time there involved being constantly moved cells, intrusive demeaning strip searches, sometimes multiple times in just a few hours.”

He continued saying:

“Due to government cuts extreme violence is a normal occurrence. That a journalist has been put into this situation says a lot about our country at the moment.”

Betrayed by Ecuador’s neo-liberal president

Ecuador’s current president Lenín Moreno, offered up Assange to the Metropolitan Police, after he struck a deal with the US for an IMF loan. Ecuador’s previous president blasted the betrayal, as has the ex-Foreign Minister.

Melzer pulled no punches declaring that:

“In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution I have never seen a group of democratic States ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law”.

The UK is behaving like an outlaw state

The silence, or worse yet the complicity, of the British judiciary and the establishment press makes this “ganging up” all the more egregious. One thing is clear, the charges against Assange are political in nature. Therefore it will take political pressure in order to bring them to an end.

Write to your MP and let them know if you want the UK to cease all extradition proceedings against Assange.

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