{"id":36659,"date":"2021-01-10T19:42:25","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T03:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/?p=36659"},"modified":"2021-01-10T19:42:50","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T03:42:50","slug":"un-torture-expert-on-julian-assanges-persecution-and-the-lies-behind-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/10\/un-torture-expert-on-julian-assanges-persecution-and-the-lies-behind-it\/","title":{"rendered":"UN Torture Expert on Julian Assange\u2019s Persecution and the Lies Behind It"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Pushback with Aaron Mat\u00e9 at The Grayzone<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

As a UK judge rejects Julian Assange\u2019s extradition but keeps him caged in Belmarsh prison, UN Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer discusses Assange\u2019s persecution and the lies used to wage it.<\/p>\n

A UK judge has rejected a US attempt to extradite Julian Assange, citing the Wikileaks founder\u2019s risk of suicide and the poor conditions of US prisons. But Judge Vanessa Baraitser accepted the basis for the US government\u2019s espionage case against Assange and ruled against releasing him on bail.<\/p>\n

Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, discusses the longstanding persecution of Assange and the lies that have been used to justify it to the public. Melzer, who has visited Assange in prison, has played a critical role in exposing the deception surrounding Assange\u2019s initial Sweden extradition case.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on 20 years of experiences of visiting prisoners, many of whom are being exposed to to extremely severe conditions including ill treatment, it is a miracle that this man is still alive,\u201d Melzer says.<\/p>\n