Julian Assange, the jailed founder of Wikileaks, is no longer being held in solitary confinement and his health is improving, said his spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson to reporters on Tuesday.
“I saw him about 10 days ago – he has improved thanks to the pressure from his legal team, the general public, and amazingly, actually from other inmates in Belmarsh Prison to get him out of isolation,” Hrafnsson told the press.
Assange’s extradition hearing begins next week.
From Reuters:
Assange, 48, is in Belmarsh high-security prison in London, fighting an extradition request from the United States where he faces 18 counts including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades in prison if convicted.
His supporters had expressed concern about the state of his health after he appeared confused during a court hearing in October, struggling to recall his age and name and saying he was unable to think properly.
Assange was moved from solitary confinement in the medical wing to a different part of the prison with 40 other inmates after his legal team and prisoners complained that his treatment was unfair, Hrafnsson said.
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Jailed Wikileaks founder Assange’s health improving: spokesman
[Andrew MacAskill, Sarah Young, February 18, 2020]