Since brutally dragged from Ecuador’s London embassy in April last year, confined to maximum security imprisonment, and subjected to guilt by accusation extradition hearings, establishment media have been largely silent about Julian Assange’s state-sponsored crucifixion for the “crime” of truth-telling journalism.
Britain in cahoots with Trump regime hardliners want his life force slowly extinguished as a message to other truth-telling journalists of a similar fate awaiting them if dare expose US high crimes of war and against humanity.
According to testimony by US defense attorney Yancey Ellis and prisoner advocate Joel Sickler at London’s Old Bailey, Assange faces a “worse than death” fate if extradited to America—what’s likely from kangaroo court proceedings, presided over by Judge Vanessa Baraitser.
In the US, unconstitutional solitary confinement awaits him—a flagrant breach of prohibited 8th Amendment cruel and unusual punishment.
Isolated US prisoners are confined for 23 hours or longer daily in cells around 7 x 7 feet.
Societies are best judged by how they treat children, the elderly, the infirm, their most disadvantaged and prisoners. The US fails on all counts.
Social psychologist Hans Toch coined the term “isolation panic”—describing symptoms including hysteria, rage, total loss of control, emotional breakdown, regressive behavior, and self-mutilation.
Alcatraz was the prototype US super-max prison until closed in 1963.
Isolation behind bars crushes the human spirit, mind and body.
Long-term it causes panic attacks, lethargy, insomnia, nightmares, dizziness, irrational anger, memory loss, delusions and hallucinations, profound despair, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts to relieve unbearable emotional pain.
Caged like animals is like being buried alive. Even the strongest-willed break under unbearable strain.
Isolated in London’s Belmarsh prison, Assange endured the worst solitary confinement.
Denied human contact, it’ll continue or worsen if extradited to the US—slow brutalizing torture by any standard.
Along with nearly 200 international lawyers, judges, professors of law, and lawyers’ associations, over 100 notable current and former politicians and diplomats from 27 countries—including present and past heads of state—called for Assange’s unconditional release from politicized extrajudicial imprisonment.
On trial in London’s Old Bailey are speech, media and academic freedoms.
Extraditing him to death by slow-torture in the US will be a body blow to these fundamental freedoms.
Commenting on Assange and press freedom, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project director Ben Wizner earlier said the following: “Any prosecution of Mr. Assange… would be unprecedented and unconstitutional, and would open the door to criminal investigations of other news organizations.”
“[P]rosecuting a foreign publisher for violating US secrecy laws would set an especially dangerous precedent for US journalists, who routinely violate foreign secrecy laws to deliver information vital to the public’s interest.”
Star Chamber-like proceedings against Assange exclude due process and judicial fairness—assuring guilt by accusation with no right of appeal—followed by extradition to the US.
Instead of rallying to his support in defense of truth-telling journalism the way it’s supposed to be, establishment media support his crucifixion by a conspiracy of near silence—ignoring show trial injustice.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
They included his lawyers, politicians, journalists, medical staff, Ecuadorean diplomats, the former head of Ecuador’s National Intelligence Service, Rommy Vallejo, and longtime Republican congressman for California Dana Rohrabacher.