The conviction of the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, to 50 weeks in prison for violating his conditional release in a British court is "disproportionate", the United Nations (UN) working group on arbitrary detention assessed today.
A group of independent experts said in a statement that they are "deeply concerned" about the decision of the British court, assessing that it is a "disproportionate sentence" that was imposed on Assange.
That group of experts works at the request of the UN Human Rights Council, but does not express itself on behalf of the United Nations.
Instead of responding to the summons, the 47-year-old Assange requested asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted on allegations of rape and sexual assault.
His lawyers argued that he did not respond to the court because he was "desperate" who feared extradition to the US.
Assange was arrested last month when Ecuador revoked his political asylum after seven years spent in that country's embassy in London.
Experts stated that it was a minor offense for which he received an almost maximum sentence of one year in prison.
They added that Sweden is no longer prosecuting Assange since the investigation against him there was closed in 2017.
They also expressed concern that Assange has been held in Belmarsh, a high-security prison, as if convicted of a serious crime since April 11, when he was arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy.
"This treatment appears to be contrary to the principles of necessity and proportionality provided for by norms related to human rights," the group stated.
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