WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could die in prison without urgent medical care, dozens of doctors asserted to British authorities.
More than 60 doctors said in an open letter published Monday that Assange suffers from depression, dental issues, and pain in his shoulder.
Assange, 48, is being held in Belmarsh Prison near London ahead of his extradition hearing scheduled for February. The United States has accused him of violating the Espionage Act relating to his WikiLeaks work.
The letter was addressed to the U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel, who leads the agency in charge of British law enforcement, and Diane Abbott, Patel’s political counterpart.
The doctors said they have “serious concerns” about Assange’s fitness to stand trial next year.
“It is our opinion that Mr. Assange requires urgent expert medical assessment of both his physical and psychological state of health. Any medical treatment indicated should be administered in a properly equipped and expertly staffed university teaching hospital,” they wrote. “Were such urgent assessment and treatment not to take place, we have real concerns, on the evidence currently available, that Mr. Assange could die in prison. The medical situation is thereby urgent. There is no time to lose.”
Last week, Sweden dropped its investigation into an alleged rape, saying too much time had passed since the accusation was made almost a decade ago.
Until his arrest in April, the WikiLeaks founder had been holed up for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London fighting extradition charges to Sweden related to the rape accusation.
He claimed the charges in Sweden were a ploy to extradite him to the U.S.
Assange is currently serving a 50-week sentence in Britain for jumping bail in 2012.
