UN expert on torture calls on Ecuador to ‘abstain from expelling Assange’

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer says he is concerned by reports that Julian Assange could soon be expelled from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, saying he has received information that the WikiLeaks founder “is at risk of extreme vulnerability, and his health is in serious decline.” WikiLeaks warned on Thursday that it had received a tip-off from a high-level Ecuadorian source warning that Assange would be thrown out of the embassy, where he has sought asylum since 2012, in the coming hours or days. Melzer is calling on Ecuadorian authorities not to withdraw their political asylum protection of Assange and to continue providing him with “adequate living conditions and access to appropriate medical care.” The UN official also says he is preparing a formal request to both Ecuador and the UK to personally visit Assange and meet with authorities from both governments over his situation.

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