Over one hundred doctors from 18 countries are calling for an end to "the psychological torture and medical neglect" of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Assange, who has been charged in the U.S. with 17 counts of spying and one count of conspiring to commit computer intrusion, is being held in Belmarsh prison on the outskirts of London before his hearing Feb. 24.
"Assange is in a dire state of health due to the effects of prolonged psychological torture in both the Ecuadorian embassy and Belmarsh prison, where he has been arbitrarily detained according to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention," the group wrote in an open letter in Lancet, a medical journal.
"Should Assange die in a U.K. prison, as the U.N. special rapporteur on torture has warned, he will have effectively been tortured to death. The medical profession cannot afford to stand silently by, on the wrong side of torture and the wrong side of history, while such a travesty unfolds."
The letter added: "Politics cannot be allowed to interfere with the right to health and the practice of medicine.
"Our appeals are simple: we are calling upon governments to end the torture of Mr. Assange and ensure his access to the best available healthcare, before it is too late."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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