[nabla9]

WikiLeaks is journalistic organization. (Some claim that they are shitty journalistic organization, but that is not a good argument for removing their status as journalistic organization)

The question you should be asking is why Assange and not journalists in NYT, Guardian etc. who published what Assange provided?

The answer is that charges against Assange are not about publishing secret information. Charges are Assange actively helping to get that information. That's illegal. Journalist should never get actively involved getting the secret information.

[DaiPlusPlus]

> Journalist should never get actively involved getting the secret information.

That's a problem given the importance of investigative journalism - which by its very nature may require breaking laws to get the goods. For example, the "ag-gag" laws in states with strong farm lobbies that make it effectively illegal to report on animal welfare issues because any honest attempt at investigating reports will necessarily mean breaking farmers' recent "privacy" laws.

[sneak]

He has not yet been put on trial. He must be presumed innocent of all charges until such time that he is.

Torturing even a guilty person is not acceptable. Torturing an innocent one is presumably less so.

[nabla9]

Assange is presumed innocent.

Assange is in jail because his lawyers are challenging the US extradition request and there is legal process going on.

There is no evidence of him being tortured. He seems to have mental problems. People getting mentally ill in jails is very common.

[Karunamon]

Solitary confinement is, at least, very unethical given its known deleterious impacts on mental health[1][2], and can be considered torture for most purposes[3].

[1]: https://semanticscholar.org/paper/8f8fbb6bd68357311bb82e48a8...

[2]: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/03/30/hellhole

[3]: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2015/spring/co...

[nabla9]

Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture has said that Assange is not held in solitary confinement at HMP Belmarsh. Melzer objected against the limited ability of Assange to prepare his legal case.

It seems that John Shipton (father of Assange) used therm solitary confinement to describe situation where Assange's access to outside is limited to his lawyers and family.

I thing Assage is currently in the the prison’s medical ward.

[shkkmo]

Melzer was pretty specific and his concerns are not just about "access to legal counsel".

> «He continues to be detained under oppressive conditions of isolation and surveillance, not justified by his detention status,” said Melzer

Melzer fairly clearly states that he believes there is credible evidence that Assange has been subjected to psychological torture.

[nabla9]

"Isolation and detained" refers to his condition being held in jail. He is not in solitary confinement. Melzer arguent opinion that Assagne should should be released and not be detained.

>Although Mr. Assange is not being held in solitary confinement, Mr. Melzer said he was gravely concerned over the limited frequency and duration of lawyers’ visits and lack of access to case files, which make it impossible to prepare and adequate defense.

sources:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/05/1039581

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?N...

[sneak]

Why do you think that might be?

[rjsw]

He is guilty of breaking his bail conditions.

[evgen]

The only people required to presume him innocent are the jurors in his trial. The rest of us are under no such compulsion for self-delusion.

[feanaro]

And who are the jurors? The jurors are you. You should not expect of yourself to magically pause your judgement only in the event of being chosen as a a juror. The pause of judgement should be your default state.