General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Assange smeared shit on the walls of the embassy? [View all]femmedem
(8,201 posts)And he has been unable to access medical care during the seven years of his confinement.
"As clinicians with a combined experience of four decades caring for and about refugees and other traumatised populations, we recently spent 20 hours, over three days, performing a comprehensive physical and psychological evaluation of Mr Assange. While the results of the evaluation are protected by doctor-patient confidentiality, it is our professional opinion that his continued confinement is dangerous physically and mentally to him, and a clear infringement of his human right to healthcare..."
"In 2016 the UN human rights council working group on arbitrary detention found that Mr Assanges situation within the Ecuador embassy had become a state of arbitrary deprivation of liberty. It is the opinion of the working group that the embassy is not equipped for prolonged detention and lacks the necessary medical equipment or facilities to provide a reasonable environment for Mr Assange a determination with which we concur. Experience tells us that the prolonged uncertainty of indefinite detention inflicts profound psychological and physical trauma above and beyond the expected stressors of incarceration. These can include severe anxiety, pathological levels of stress, dissociation, depression, suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, among others.
Mr Assange is surrounded by credible personal threats from various governments and individuals. He is also unable to avail himself of his right to access medical institutions due to the threat of imminent arrest should he step outside the embassy, even for a medical emergency. It is unconscionable that Mr Assange is in the position of having to decide between avoiding arrest and potentially suffering the health consequences, including death, if a life-threatening crisis such as a heart attack were to occur. Further, our assessment reveals that he has had no access to sunlight, appropriate ventilation or outside space for over five and a half years. This has taken a considerable toll. It is our professional opinion that Mr Assanges physical and psychological circumstances at the embassy are in violation of the spirit of the UN standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/24/julian-assange-care-wikileaks-ecuadorian-embassy