SL Journalists condemns UK’S Assange detention

Sri Lanka Journalists for Global Justice statement on Assange end the smear campaign against him

While Britain preached Human Rights to other countries and is quick to chastise them for their failings, it turns a deaf ear to all appeals that Assange requires special attention and should be treated by qualified medical personnel, the Sri Lanka Journalists for Global Justice recently issued a mestatement.

The statement was issued following reports that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange who is detained at UK’S maximum security prison Belmarsh is rapidly deteriorating.

The statement says:

“It is reported that the health condition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange detained at UK maximum security prison Belmarsh is rapidly deteriorating.

While Britain preaches human rights to other countries and quick to chastise them for their failings, it turns a deaf ear to all appeals that Assange requires special attention and should be treated by qualified medical personnel.

“Assange is the victim of a virulent campaign carried out by powerful countries including the United States because he exposed their war crimes in Iraq during their occupation of that country.

Instead of holding an unbiased and impartial inquiry against these crimes, they chose to hunt down the messenger.

“The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention reported that Assange had effectively been subjected to illegal detention by the UK authorities when he took shelter in Ecuador’s embassy in London.

“The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nil Meizer, has pointed out that Assange’s legal and democratic rights have been trampled and he has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign of public ‘mobbing’ amounting to psychological torture.

“The Sri Lanka Journalists for Global Justice recognises Assange’s outstanding contribution to public interest journalism and global campaigns for transparency and accountability.

“We join public-spirited journalists to urge the Sri Lankan government, national and international agencies to call for Assange’s immediate release and an end to the smear campaign being waged against him for the crime of exposing the crimes of big powers.”