The whistleblower Julian Assange suffered a “mini-stroke” in October while awaiting trial for espionage, according to a bombshell new report from The Daily Mail.
“Julian is struggling and I fear this mini-stroke could be the precursor to a more major attack,” Stella Morris, Assange’s fiancée, told the Mail on Saturday.
“It compounds our fears about his ability to survive the longer this long legal battle goes on.”
Morris told the Mail that Assange has been experiencing memory problems since October 27.
She noticed memory problems and a drooping eyelid during his October appearance in front of a British court.
“His eyes were out of synch, his right eyelid would not close, his memory was blurry,” she told the Mail. “He had to sit through all this when he should have been excused. He was in a truly terrible state.”
According to the Mail, Assange underwent a medical exam, and he showed delayed pupil response consistent with nerve damage.
Assange is now reportedly taking anti-stroke medication, amid fears of another, more serious injury.
Morris attributed the stroke to the stress of his court battle. She told the Mail, “I believe this constant chess game, battle after battle, the extreme stress, is what caused Julian’s stroke on October 27.”
She also spoke about a more general decline in Assange’s health due to his imprisonment.
“Look at animals trapped in cages in a zoo. It cuts their life short. That’s what’s happening to Julian,” Morris said. “The never-ending court cases are extremely stressful mentally.”
Morris described Assange as “‘short of fresh air and sunlight, an adequate diet and the stimulus he needs.”
“It urgently needs to be resolved,” she said.
Assange has petitioned for trial in the U.K. — not the U.S. — due to concerns about the effects of stress on his health. However, a U.K. court ruled on Friday that Assange can be extradited to the U.S. anyway, a major blow to Assange’s case.
Assange can appeal the decision anytime before the Dec. 23.
Assange gained worldwide attention in 2010 for publishing the Iraq War Logs, a report correcting the official number of civilian deaths from the Iraq War.
He has earned praise for exposing unseemly uses of taxpayer funds. However, he has also faced criticism for refusing to criticize the Russian government… and for publishing Social Security numbers online.
Morris characterized his trial as an attack on the free press. She told the BBC, “Julian represents the fundamentals of what it means to live in a free society, of what it means to have press freedom.”
Watch the video here —
Julian Assange's Fiancee Stella Moris: “This goes to the fundamentals of press freedom and democracy, we will fight – this is an abusive, vindictive prosecution" @stellamoris1 #FreeAssangeNOW pic.twitter.com/tWGJTjWavO
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) December 12, 2021
BREAKING: Julian #Assange suffered a stroke on the first day of the High Court appeal hearing on October 27th.
He needs to be freed. Now. #FreeAssange https://t.co/yNg8HGUoAD
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) December 11, 2021
The Horn editorial team