It sickens me how little it seems to matter to people in our mainstream discourse whether or not Assange is treated as a human being. After he was removed from the Ecuadorian embassy, and officials said he had behaved erratically there and smeared feces on the walls, etc., the public reaction was along the lines of, “Wow, what a weirdo loser”—rather than, “Oh God, what have we done to this person?” It speaks poorly o…
Thing is, he damaged himself by choosing to spend nearly a decade in isolation. We haven’t done anything to him other than expect him to submit to due process as a citizen like any other. That he has driven himself half-mad is indeed tragic, but it’s not societies fault, nor is it sufficient to place him outside the law.
He always argued that he would not receive fair treatment if he submitted himself to authorities, especially as they would give him no assurance about not handing him over to the US (this is before the US officially started proceedings against him).
> We haven't done anything to him other than expect him to submit to due process as a citizen like any other.
But the International Bar Association say that he is not getting due process. Which rather confirms his original fears. The article here quotes IBAHRI Co-Chair, Anne Ramberg: "With this extradition trial we are witnessing the serious undermining of due process and the rule of law."