Julian Assange in jail: Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen want access to him

Australian politicians want to visit Julian Assange after a UN expert has said the Wikileaks founder is displaying “all the symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture”.

Exclusive: The leaders of a Federal Parliamentary Group advocating on behalf of detained Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, have approached the British Government seeking urgent access to interview him in the high security London jail where he is being held.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and LNP MP, George Christensen, wrote this week to the British High Commissioner to Australia, Vicki Treadell, asking for help arranging a visit to check on Mr Assange’s welfare.

Mr Christensen said they want to speak to Mr Assange and ask what he would like the group and the Australian Parliament to do on his behalf.

He said Mr Assange, through his legal team, had welcomed a visit.

“It is going to be difficult to knock back our request when he has asked for us to visit,” said Mr Christensen.

“But there is a possibility we might be denied,” he said.

George Christensen is seeking help from the UK Government to get access to Julian Assange. Picture: Emma Murray

Assange, 48, is being held in London’s Belmarsh prison ahead of an extradition hearing from the United States.

He faces 18 counts in the US including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law.

Assange attracted the attention of the US when Wikileaks published hundreds of thousands of secret US documents and video about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He was in London when Swedish authorities sought his extradition to assist in investigations allegations of rape made against him by two Swedish women.

Assange had previously been told he could leave Sweden. There has been no extradition case to Sweden and Assange has not be charged with rape.

Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange leaves Southwark Crown Court in a security van after being sentenced on May 1 in London. Picture: Getty

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But when he unsuccessfully sought assurances that Sweden would not extradite him to the US, he sought and was granted asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012 on the basis that he risked human rights abuses at the hands of the United States.

He was dragged out of the Ecuadorean Embassy earlier this year and is being held on remand ahead of the extradition hearing to the US.

The attempt to extradite him to the US has nothing to do with the Swedish allegations.

Mr Wilkie and Mr Christensen wrote: “We have concerns about Mr Assange’s current state of health and living conditions and this is the key purpose of the visit.

It comes after UN expert Nils Melzer said the British government had ignored an urgent medical appeal for Mr Assange

UN rapporteur on torture. Mr Melzer, said Britain has taken no action since he and medical experts visited Assange at a London prison in May.

Belmarsh prison is seen behind its walls in south East London. Picture: AFP

They found Assange displaying “all the symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture”.

“However, what we have seen from the UK government is outright contempt for Mr Assange’s rights and integrity,” Mr Melzer said in a statement last week.

“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.”

Originally published as Julian Assange in jail: Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen want access to him