Today Monday 7/12/20 is 10 years since Julian Assange was arbitrary detained by the UK authorities as per the legal opinion of United Nations experts at the Working Group for Arbitrary Detention.
They published their decision on 5/2/2016 where they said:
“On 4 December 2015, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted Opinion No. 54/2015, in which it considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In that opinion, the Working Group recognized that Mr. Assange is entitled to his freedom of movement and to compensation.”
UK and Sweden dismissed the UNWGAD findings despite fully engaging in the adversarial process since September 2014. They challenged the outcome and yet again in November 2016 were unable to obtain a review.
UNWGAD returned with a statement in December 2018.
“The WGAD is further concerned that the modalities of the continued arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Mr. Assange is undermining his health, and may possible endanger his life given the disproportionate amount of anxiety and stress that such prolonged deprivation of liberty entails.”
And again UNWGAD expressed concern about Assange proceedings in May 2019 in particular at the disproportionate sentence for bail violation and his incarceration in a maximum security prison by saying that:
“Mr. Assange has been detained since 11 April 2019 in Belmarsh prison, a high-security prison, as if he were convicted for a serious criminal offence. This treatment appears to contravene the principles of necessity and proportionality envisaged by the human rights standards.
The WGAD reiterates its recommendation to the Government of the United Kingdom, as expressed in its Opinion 54/2015, and its 21 December 2018 statement, that the right of Mr Assange to personal liberty should be restored.””
Marking 10 years of Arbitrary Detention a socially distanced protest was held outside the Home Office in the UK. Thanking all the wonderful solidarity activists who came out on a cold day to remind the politicians and buraucrats that Julian Assange must be released and his arbitrary detention end.
In solidarity #FreeAssange
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I pay full respect to all those brave people outside the UK Home Office, expressing their concerns of the continued detention of the journalist Julian Assange. Why is this abuse and torture allowed to continue when it has been clearly documented by the United Nations as both torture and illegal detentions in solitary confinement. Why does the UK Government ignore the UN’s findings? This cruel torture of a human being is a national disgrace and must stop immediately. The UK Government and judicial system are complicit in this shameful act.