Sondra S. Crosby, M.D.
Senior Forensic Consultant
https://glp.org/

08 April 2019
Dear Commissioner for Human Rights Mijatovic:
I am a physician and professor based in Boston, Massachusetts, who specializes in refugee health
and torture documentation and treatment. I have attached both a CV and short bio for your
reference.
I am writing to request that your office look into the case of Mr. Julian Assange, founder of
WikiLeaks. I have evaluated Mr. Julian Assange on four occasions from October 2017 through
February 2019, utilizing principles established in the Istanbul Protocol. The purpose of this letter
is to provide you with a general summary of my professional findings and conclusions, while
respecting Mr. Assange’s privacy on specific details.
In a January 2018 article for the Guardian, my colleagues and I wrote about the unusual
confinement of Mr. Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, in the Ecuadorian embassy in
London. After our medical evaluation, we concluded that Mr. Assange had been denied the
fundamental right to health afforded to him as a refugee (a status determined by the sovereign
state of Ecuador), and that this denial was physically and mentally dangerous to him. We
concurred with the 2016 UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
(WGAD), who opined that Mr. Assange’s situation within the embassy had become a “state of
arbitrary deprivation of liberty”. In addition, we agreed that “the embassy is not equipped for
prolonged detention and lacks the necessary medical equipment or facilities to provide a
reasonable environment for Mr. Assange.” In that piece, we called on our medical colleagues in
the UK, including the British Medical Association, to demand safe passage for Mr. Assange to
receive medical care and to oppose openly the ongoing violation of his human right to health.
It is now over a year later, no remedy has been implemented, and Mr. Assange’s suffering and
health has predictably worsened. Mr. Assange has been confined for almost 7 years under
intense personal surveillance, and where his movement is mostly limited to two small rooms
without access to the outdoors or natural sunlight. I have evaluated Mr. Assange over time, most
recently in February 2019. The conditions of his confinement have become observably worse
since my initial visit. The hostile and intimidating environment in which he is confined is
palpable, as I recently experienced firsthand. For example, my confidential medical notes were
removed from our meeting room when I temporarily stepped out, and were later found in a space
used by embassy surveillance staff (and had presumably been read). Mr. Assange’s fundamental
right to doctor-patient confidentiality was violated. This breach of privacy potentially places him
at increased risk for harm if private medical information is used against him. The intensity of
surveillance in the embassy has increased from previous visits. In fact, we spoke over the noise

 of a radio to lessen the chance of “being overheard” by listening devices, and the entire medical
visit was monitored by two cameras. Persistent and personal attacks on Mr. Assange’s dignity,
and acts meant to degrade and humiliate him have also escalated, as he disclosed to me.
Repeated attacks on one’s personal dignity and humiliation are often used as a strategy with the
intent to break a person’s humanity.
Mr. Assange’s multiple medical conditions have predictably become more complex and urgent.
The highest priority is the critical need for an oral surgery procedure. The severe daily pain
endured by Mr. Assange from this dental condition is inhumane, notwithstanding that the
situation could be life threatening if left untreated. In addition to my own evaluation, I have
consulted with a dentist who has examined Mr. Assange. The required procedure cannot be
performed safely within the embassy due to the advanced stage and risk of complications. The
solution to address this urgent medical issue is simple, but the UK government has repeatedly
rejected requests to grant Mr. Assange humanitarian safe access to a nearby hospital to obtain the
necessary treatment.
Mr. Assange’s situation differs from a typical prisoner in a conventional prison. In fact, his
position is worse than a conventional prison in many respects. His confinement is indefinite and
uncertain, which increases chronic stress and its myriad of chronic physical and serious
psychological risks, including suicide. He has no ability to access necessary medical care, and
he does not have access to the outdoors and sunlight. Even minimum standards for prisoners
dictate at least one hour of sunlight daily and access to natural light. Mr. Assange has suffered a
number of serious deleterious effects of sunlight deprivation over the nearly 7 years of
confinement. Some of the risks include neuropsychological impairment, weakened bones,
decreased immune function, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer, among
others.
Mr. Assange has also suffered from prolonged social isolation and sensory deprivation, and their
consequent negative psychological and physical effects. Since March 2018, a punitive form of
isolation has been imposed on Mr. Assange that includes the denial of most visitors and the
suspension of telephone calls and other forms of communication including internet. Although
this ban has been slightly reduced, he is still gagged and isolated the overwhelming majority of
the time.
It is my professional opinion that the synergistic and cumulative severity of the pain and
suffering inflicted on Mr. Assange – both physical and psychological -- is in violation of the
1984 Convention Against Torture, Article 1 and Article 16. I believe the psychological,
physical, and social sequelae will be long lasting and severe.
For the aforementioned reasons, I encourage your office to look into this case and explore
avenues to resolve the current dilemma, which encompasses multiple human rights issues. In
addition, I would be happy to provide detailed information in a secure and confidential setting.
Thank you very much for your attention.

 Very Respectfully,

$00444 ?059 M-D.

Sondra S. Crosby M.