Assange suffered stroke in UK prison – fiancée

 

12 Dec, 2021 03:51

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Stella Moris, partner of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, speaks to media outside the Royal Courts of Justice following the appeal against Assange's extradition in London, December 10, 2021 ©  Reuters / Henry Nicholls

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WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has suffered a ministroke, due to extreme stress while fighting extradition to the US from the maximum-security Belmarsh jail in London, according to his fiancée Stella Moris.

Assange was diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack following one of his High Court appeal appearances via video link back on October 27, his partner and the mother of his two children revealed to Daily Mail. Also called a ministroke, TIA is often seen as a warning sign of a possible future stroke and requires medical attention. Assange has since had an MRI scan and is now reportedly taking anti-stroke medication.

“Julian is struggling and I fear this mini-stroke could be the precursor to a more major attack. It compounds our fears about his ability to survive the longer this long legal battle goes on,” Moris said.

The UK High Court on Friday granted the US’ request to extradite Assange, a request it had previously blocked due to Assange’s declining mental health. While the ruling is not final and can be appealed by Assange’s legal team, it brings the former WikiLeaks boss one step closer to a trial on US soil, where he faces a possible 175 years behind bars if convicted of espionage.

READ MORE: Julian Assange’s extradition battle: What you need to know

“The never-ending court cases are extremely stressful mentally,” Moris added.

Look at animals trapped in cages in a zoo. It cuts their life short. That's what's happening to Julian.

Assange’s plight and declining health has long been recognized by free speech and press freedom activists, and the deprivations endured by Assange during his years in detention have been criticized by human rights organizations.

Revealed: The shocking conditions at Belmarsh Prison to which Julian Assange is exposed

In 2019, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, whose team visited Assange in Belmarsh, said that he showed “all the symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture.”