UN torture expert names Australia among countries that “ganged up” on Julian Assange

A UN expert weighs in on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s mental state, claiming he’s endured intense torture at the hands of these nations.

A United Nations expert has pointed an accusatory finger directly at Britain, Sweden and the United States for “ganging up” on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In a report condemning their actions, the UN torture expert also highlighted Australia’s inaction as a damaging force.

“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,” said UN special rapporteur Nils Melzer.

He also noted Australia’s failure to assist. “Australia is a glaring absence in this case. They’re just not around, as if Assange was not an Australian citizen,” Mr Melzer told The Sydney Morning Herald. “That is not the correct way of dealing with that.”

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Julian Assange gestures from the window of a prison van as he is driven out of Southwark Crown Court in London, after having been sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching his bail conditions in 2012. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

Julian Assange has been subjected to drawn-out "psychological torture", a UN rights expert said. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade adamantly denied the claims. “We reject any suggestion by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture that the Australian Government is complicit in psychological torture or has shown a lack of consular support for Mr Assange”.

“The Special Rapporteur has not been in contact with the Australian Government to raise these concerns directly.”

The Department insists that consular officers from the Australian High Commission in London have already visited Mr Assange twice this year — on April 12 and May 17.

While DFAT are “confident that Mr Assange is being treated the same as other prisoners in Belmarsh”, a recent examination found alarming deteriorations in his mental and physical health, impacting his ability to front court.

Assange’s lawyer Gareth Pierce said the WikiLeaks founder was “far from well”, as he failed to appear yesterday via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court as expected.

The Australian computer programmer was arrested at London’s Ecuadorean embassy in April, after spending seven years holed up there to avoid charges against him. WikiLeaks said his health “significantly deteriorated” during this time, “under conditions that were incompatible with basic human rights.”

WikiLeaks has grave concerns about the state of health of our publisher, Julian Assange, who has been moved to the health ward of Belmarsh prison. - See full statement: pic.twitter.com/HnZVks4kWj

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 29 May 2019

Julian Assange is being held in London's high security Belmarsh prison which has housed some of Britain's most notorious inmates. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

A sign directs people to the visitors car park at Belmarsh prison in south East London. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

Still, Mr Melzer is convinced Julian Assange a victim of “psychological torture.”

“The evidence is overwhelming and clear,” he said. “Mr. Assange has been deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture.”

Mr Melzer said he had initially been sceptical about Mr. Assange’s case, turning down a request from Mr. Assange’s lawyers back in December to investigate. But he said that what he found after having accepted a second request from the lawyers in March, changed his mind.

“Wherever I delved into the case, I found a lot of dirty stuff,” he told The New York Times.

Following media reports of Assange’s ill health yesterday, the Australian Government has reportedly made further inquiries with Belmarsh Prison authorities as to Mr Assange’s current health situation.

A DFAT spokesman confirmed: “We will continue to visit Mr Assange in prison, monitor and advocate for his health, welfare and equitable treatment, and closely follow his legal proceedings.”

Originally published as UN torture expert names Australia among countries that “ganged up” on Julian Assange