Stella Moris, the fiancé of Julian Assange, has reported that the WikiLeaks founder has suffered a minor stroke while being held at the Belmarsh prison in the UK. The incident happened in the midst of Assange's fight to stop his extradition to the US.
The news comes soon after an appeal filed at the British High Court from the US government was won. This could result in Assange being moved to Washington, where he would face charges for publishing top-secret military documents through WikiLeaks over ten years ago.
Moris reported that the stroke happened at the end of October, in the midst of the US government's appeal. She said on Twitter:
"Julian Assange suffered a stroke on the first day of the High Court appeal hearing on October 27th."
BREAKING: Julian #Assange suffered a stroke on the first day of the High Court appeal hearing on October 27th.
— Stella Moris #FreeAssangeNOW (@StellaMoris1) December 11, 2021
He needs to be freed. Now. #FreeAssange https://t.co/yNg8HGUoAD
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Assange's fiancé and mother of his two children, said:
"It compounds our fears about his ability to survive, the longer this long legal battle goes on. It urgently needs to be resolved. Look at animals trapped in cages in a zoo. It cuts their life short. That's what's happening to Julian. The never-ending court cases are extremely stressful mentally."
Assange faces 17 charges from the US government including, violation of the Espionage Act and conspiracy to misuse computers in the US, among others.
Experts have estimated that his sentence could be set to up to 175 years in prison, while the death penalty is not unlikely.
Assange's health throughout the years has deteriorated both physically and mentally due to his long-term isolation both at the Belmarsh prison where he is currently held and at Ecuador's London embassy, where he had previously been staying.
[Based on reporting by: The Mind Unleashed]
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