Persecuted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tests positive for Covid
2 Min Read
The upcoming few days would be "crucial" for the imprisoned journalist's general health.
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Julian Assange (Archive)
In a worrying statement, imprisoned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s wife Stella announced that her husband has tested positive for Covid.
The Australian-born publisher has been in prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2019 and arrested by British police.
He is currently appealing a decision to extradite him to the US where he is wanted to face trial for allegedly violating the US Espionage Act.
In 2010, Assange released classified military and diplomatic files where he exposed Washington's war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
If found guilty, Assange faces the prospect of being held behind bars for several decades, as his sentencing is set to be at 175 years in prison.
Assange still remains in London's Belmarsh prison, where he has been in detention since April 2019. His extradition was halted by a UK judge last year, but the US government was successful in its appeal to the high court.
“I am worried about my husband”
Stella Assange said as quoted by the PA News Agency that she is "worried" about her husband, warning that the upcoming few days would be "crucial" for his general health.
In further detail, she stated that her husband had been feeling sick for the previous week but became really ill on Friday, developing a cough and fever.
“He was given some paracetamol”, Ms Assange said.
She added, “He tested positive for Covid on Saturday, the same day thousands of people came out onto the streets to support him”.
She also expressed her delight at the number of people who formed a human chain around Parliament on Saturday, estimating that well over 5,000 people were present.
It is worth noting that the human chain was considered the largest event of its kind in support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has received backing from human rights organizations, journalist groups, and others around the world.
Last month, US lawyers and journalists who visited Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy announced that they are suing the CIA for violating the Fourth Amendment by spying on their private conversations.
