News broke today that Julian Assange won yet another award for his courage and speaking out for the rights of others. The Catalan Dignity Commission honored him with its 2019 Dignity Prize for raising awareness of the victimization of Catalans in October of 2017. Julian Assange is still being held in remand in the UK at Belmarsh prison awaiting his extradition trial to the United States. Under lock and key and held in solitary confinement 23 hours a day, doctors continue to raise their concens over Assange’s deteriorating health. The psychological stress caused by torturous conditions and fear of extradition have further deteriorated Julian’s well being. There were already health issues after 7 years of being detained in London’s Ecuadorian embassy. Incarceration has only exasperated the process of his disintegrating health. Concerns were raised as early as May by UN special rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, that Julian had all the symptoms of a prolonged torture victim. According to the Nelson Mandela Act, any solitary confinement over 15 days is considered torture. Assange has spent well over w00 days locked up in complete isolation without any meaningful human contact. continue
