Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday warned of potentially devastating consequences for journalism around the world after a British judge denied Assange’s request to delay his U.S. extradition hearing in February. Assange struggled to say his own name and date of birth during the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. “I can’t think properly,” Assange told Judge Vanessa Baraitser. The WikiLeaks publisher has been behind bars since he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian Embassy by U.K. police. Supporters say Assange’s waning physical and mental condition is a consequence of his prolonged isolation, which the United Nations condemned as torture.
— source commondreams.org | Oct 21, 2019