The Covid-19 outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine prisoners, including one at Belmarsh, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being held pending extradition to the United States.
Internal figures cited by the BBC and PA Media on Tuesday suggest that 107 people across 38 prisons in England and Wales had tested positive for the infection as of Sunday. Covid-19 has claimed three lives at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire. Deaths were also reported in a handful of other detention facilities, including Belmarsh Prison in southeast London.
Wikileaks earlier criticized British justice for keeping Assange in the top security prison despite the new threat that the virus poses for the already ailing 48-year-old. News of the death proves that the concern was well-grounded, the whistleblower organization indicated.
“Two weeks ago: Judge refused bail to #JulianAssange saying that he, and all other prisoners, would be safe in Belmarsh Prison,” WikiLeaks tweeted.
Assange was put behind bars almost a year ago after Ecuador revoked his asylum and invited British officers into its embassy in London to drag him out. He is wanted by the US on charges of conspiring to hack government computers and breaking espionage laws. If convicted, the outcome may become an effective life sentence for Assange.
