Julian Assange “slowly dying” and “often sedated” in Belmarsh prison
阿桑奇在Belmarsh監獄中“緩慢死亡”並“經常被施加鎮靜劑”
World Socialist Web Site (WSWS)
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/28/assa-d28.html
By Mike Head
28 December 2019
On Christmas Eve, WikiLeaks founder and prize-winning journalist Julian
Assange phoned a friend to alert the world that his life is in danger inside
London’s notorious maximum-security Belmarsh prison.
平安夜，維基解密的創始人兼獲獎記者朱利安·阿桑奇打電話給一位朋友，以警告世界，
他的生命在倫敦臭名昭著，所謂最高維安的Belmarsh監獄中正處於危險狀態。
Vaughan Smith, a freelance video news journalist who gave refuge to Assange
in 2010 when he was legally fighting against attempts to extradite him to
Sweden, tweeted that Assange called his family on Christmas Eve. Smith wrote:
“He told my wife and I how he was slowly dying in Belmarsh where, though
only on remand, he is kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and is
often sedated. His US extradition proceedings start in February...”
自由視頻新聞記者沃恩·史密斯在2010年幫助阿桑奇避難，用法律手段避免將阿桑奇引渡
到瑞典。他在推特上說，阿桑奇在聖誕節前夕給他家人打電話。史密斯說：“他告訴我和
妻子，即便只是還押候審，他在Belmarsh監獄裡正緩慢步向死亡，他一天被單獨關押23個
小時，並且經常被施加鎮靜劑。而他的美國引渡程序要到2月才開始……”
Assange’s phone call highlights the danger that he could die in prison,
effectively at the hands of the British government of Boris Johnson, acting
in league with the Trump administration and the Australian government, which
has refused to intervene on behalf of Assange, an Australian citizen.
阿桑奇的電話突顯了他可能會在監獄中死亡的危險，實際上是死在與川普政府和澳大利亞
政府結盟的英國政府鮑里斯·約翰遜的手中。鮑威爾·約翰遜拒絕代表澳大利亞公民阿桑
奇進行干預。
By what authority, or on what pretext, Assange is being tranquilised, and
kept isolated, remains unknown. Despite growing public outrage, demands for
explanations have gone unanswered.
公眾仍然不知道，究竟是憑什麼判例或以什麼藉口來對阿桑奇施加鎮靜劑，並隔離他。儘
管公眾的憤慨與日俱增，要求一個解釋，但官方仍然沒有回應。
Such mistreatment of a prisoner who is only on remand—not convicted of any
offence whatsoever—cannot possibly be explained innocently. It not only
defies all known precedents regarding detainees awaiting trial or, in Assange
’s case, lengthy extradition proceedings. It also defies urgent medical
advice.
在定罪前對還押候審人的這種虐待，根本不可能有合法的解釋。它不僅無視關於待審被拘
留者的所有已知先例，也無視阿桑奇案件中漫長的引渡程序。它更無視緊急醫療的專業建
議。
Assange’s plea for help underscores the warnings made over the past two
months by doctors from around the world, putting the British and Australian
governments on notice that Assange’s health is deteriorating so rapidly, he
might die in jail.
阿桑奇的援助請求中強調了過去兩個月來自世界各地的醫生的警告，告知英國和澳大利亞
政府阿桑奇的健康狀況惡化如此之快，以至於他可能會在監獄中死亡。
The WikiLeaks founder, together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, is being
persecuted, possibly to the point of death, for helping to bring to the world
the truth about the war crimes, anti-democratic intrigues and mass
surveillance conducted globally by the US government and its close allies,
notably Britain and Australia.
這位維基解密創始人與舉報人切爾西·曼寧一起受到迫害，甚至可能喪命，原因是他們世
人揭露美國政府及其親密盟友們，特別是英國和澳大利亞，在全球範圍內進行的戰爭罪行
，反民主陰謀和大規模監視。
In 2010, WikiLeaks, acting in partnership with several major corporate media
outlets, published hundreds of thousands of secret documents exposing US war
crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, including US-led coup plots and other forms
of political interference in country after country. It also released the “
Collateral Murder” video showing the gunning down of civilians and
journalists in Baghdad in July 2007.
2010年，維基解密與多家主要公司媒體合作，發布了成千上萬份秘密文件，揭露了美國在
阿富汗和伊拉克的戰爭罪行，包括美國領導的政變陰謀以及其他國家之間的政治干預。它
還發布了“附帶謀殺案”視頻，顯示了2007年7月在巴格達槍殺平民和記者的情況。
If extradited to the US, Assange faces imprisonment for up to 175 years on
openly political charges under the US Espionage Act—charges that represent a
frontal attack on free speech and media freedom globally.
如果阿桑奇被引渡到美國，則根據《美國間諜法》的公開政治指控，他面臨長達175年的
監禁，這些指控是對全球言論自由和媒體自由的正面攻擊。
Last month more than 60 medical doctors wrote to the UK government urging
that Assange be transferred immediately from prison to a university teaching
hospital for multi-disciplinary medical assessment and care, including by
experts in psychological torture.
上個月，有60多名醫生寫信給英國政府，敦促將阿桑奇立即從監獄轉移到大學教學醫院進
行多項專業醫學評估和護理，其中包括受虐心理專家的評估。
The doctors cited UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and on Torture and other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Professor Nils Melzer,
who visited Assange earlier this year with two medical experts. Melzer has
written to the British, US and Australian governments stating that Assange is
being psychologically tortured and “today we are at a point where he could
collapse at any moment.”
這些醫生引述了尼爾斯·梅爾澤教授，他是聯合國酷刑和其他殘忍、不人道或有辱人格的
待遇或處罰問題的特別報告員，他今年年初與兩名醫學專家一起訪問了阿桑奇。梅爾澤給
英國，美國和澳大利亞政府的信中說，阿桑奇受到了心理上的折磨，“今天我們正面臨他
隨時可能崩潰的時刻。”
In a further letter, more than 100 doctors from around the globe put Australia
’s government on notice that Assange’s health is deteriorating rapidly. In
an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise
Payne, the doctors urged the government to intervene and get him medical
treatment before it is too late. “It is an extremely serious matter for an
Australian citizen’s survival to be endangered by a foreign government,”
the letter said.
在另一封信中，來自全球的100多名醫生通知澳大利亞政府，阿桑奇的健康狀況正在迅速
惡化。在致斯科特·莫里森總理和外交大臣馬里斯·佩恩的公開信中，醫生們敦促政府干
預，以免為時已晚。信中說：“對於澳大利亞公民的生存來說，受到外國政府的威脅是極
為嚴重的事情。”
The doctors are concerned that the psychological stress Assange has been
under, which is akin to psychological torture, is manifesting in physical
ailments and he could suffer a stroke, cardiac arrest or other fatal health
problem at any time. An addendum to the doctors’ letter, listing the “
medical realities” regarding Assange’s case, warned: “The potentially
fatal medical consequences of prolonged psychological torture are inherently
unpredictable, and could strike at any time…
醫生擔心，阿桑奇所遭受的心理壓力已接近心理折磨，它表現在身體疾病上，使阿桑奇隨
時可能遭受中風，心臟驟停或其他致命的健康問題。醫生信的附錄列出了有關阿桑奇病例
的“醫學現實”，並警告說：“長期遭受心理折磨可能造成致命的醫療後果，本來就無法
預測，而且隨時可能發作…
“We reiterate that it is fundamentally incompatible with basic standards of
medical care to attempt to treat a psychological torture victim while holding
them in the very conditions assessed as comprising torture, and which led to
the onset, persistence and severity of symptoms…
“我們重申，試圖治療心理折磨的受害者，同時讓他們處於被折磨的條件下，這從根本上
不符合醫療的基本標準，這導致了症狀的發作，持續性和嚴重性……
“Accordingly, no doctor, no matter how senior, can offer any legitimate
assurances regarding Julian Assange’s survival or medical stability while he
continues to be held in Belmarsh prison.”
“因此，在阿桑奇繼續被關押在Belmarsh監獄時，任何醫生，無論多有經驗，都無法提供
任何合法保證。”
Such is the mounting demand for Assange’s freedom that the Sydney Daily
Telegraph published an interview with Assange’s mother, Christine Assange,
on December 22. While voicing her anguish at not being able to speak to her
son since he was arrested in April, let alone celebrate Christmas with him,
she issued an impassioned plea for public support for the campaign to force
the Australian government to ensure her son’s safe return to Australia.
正是由於對釋放阿桑奇不斷增強的要求，《悉尼每日電訊報》於12月22日發表了對阿桑奇
母親克莉絲汀·阿桑奇的採訪。她表示兒子自從4月被捕以來，一直無法與她說話，這讓
她很痛苦，更不用說與他一起慶祝聖誕節了，但她慷慨激昂地呼籲公眾支持這項運動，以
迫使澳大利亞政府確保兒子安全返回澳大利亞。
“All I want for Christmas is my son Julian to be home safe with his family,
under the protection of his country, to be free from this nine-year unlawful
and brutal political persecution and to heal from the human rights abuses and
torture which have damaged his mind and body,” she said.
“我要的聖誕節就是兒子朱利安在國家的保護下安全回家，與家人團聚，免受這種為期9
年的非法和殘酷的政治迫害，並從剝奪人權的虐待中得到治愈。這些虐待損害了他的思想
和身體，”她說。
“If he ends up in US hands, there will be a show trial and there will be
nothing fair or just about it. He will never see the light of day again. He
is accused of engaging in multi-award winning journalism, not hurting anyone.
”
“如果他最終落入美國之手，將會有一場按劇本演出的審判，而且不會有公平或公正的事
情。他將再也見不到天明。他被指控從事屢獲殊榮的新聞事業，而不是傷害任何人。”
More than 1,030 journalists and media workers from every corner of the globe
have so far signed an open letter to all the governments complicit in Assange
’s torment, demanding his unconditional freedom and an immediate “end to
the legal campaign being waged against him for the crime of revealing war
crimes.”
迄今為止，全球各地有1,030多名記者和媒體工作者向所有參與阿桑奇折磨的政府簽署了
一封公開信，要求他無條件自由，並立即“結束針對他為揭示戰爭罪行而可能犯罪的法律
運動”
The signatories include WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson,
world-renowned investigative journalist John Pilger, Daniel Ellsberg, the
Pentagon Papers whistleblower who revealed the full criminality of the
Vietnam War, World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board Chairman
David North and leading WSWS reporters.
簽署者包括維基解密主編Kristinn Hrafnsson，世界知名的調查記者John Pilger，
Daniel Ellsberg，揭露越南戰爭完全罪行的五角大樓舉報人，世界社會主義網站國際編
輯委員會主席David North和主要的WSWS記者。
Neither the British or Australian governments have replied to the doctors and
journalists. The same contemptuous silence has come from the Australian Labor
Party leader Anthony Albanese and shadow foreign minister Penny Wong, to whom
the doctors’ letter was also addressed. Just as much as the Johnson and
Morrison governments, the Labor Party is totally committed to the US-led
military alliance and alignment behind Washington’s preparations for new
wars.
英國或澳大利亞政府都沒有回覆醫生和記者。醫生的信也發給了澳大利亞工黨領導人安東
尼·阿爾巴內塞和影子外交部長潘尼·王，他們也同樣輕蔑地沉默了。就像約翰遜和莫里
森政府一樣，工黨完全致力於以美國為首的軍事聯盟，並在華盛頓為新戰爭做準備的基礎
上結盟。
As the Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS have insisted from the outset,
no US, British or Australian government will free Assange unless it is
compelled to do so by a mass movement from below. The campaign to build such
a movement must now be stepped up urgently.
正如社會主義平等黨和WSWS從一開始就堅持的那樣，美國，英國或澳大利亞政府不會釋放
阿桑奇，除非它受到來自下層群眾運動的強迫。現在必須緊急加強建立這種運動。
*****
補充：阿桑吉 1/13 離開法院視頻
https://youtu.be/stLalBA-yZo
"Stay strong Julian"
"Remember we are here for you"
"We won’t let them do this to you"
"Because your freedom is our freedom"