Julian Assange has long since departed the UK to return to living a free life as a journalist and a provocateur against high office. But the memory of his incarceration and plight against US extradition remains as a bitter rebuke.
He’s never been found guilty of serious malpractice or unprofessional activity in respects of his work anywhere in the world. Yet, he was held in Belmarsh against his will until it was determined if he was going to be on trial in the US.
Slow progress in letting him walk free is an indictment on the judicial process. The reports of abuse suffered while taking refuge in an embassy in London and during his subsequent prison stay expose people as feckless and wrong.
There are concerns that persecution of human life is routine in London, and Assange is a notable example of such a reality that piques just below the surface. This state is guilty of compromise to diplomatic convenience and of leaving journalism defenceless.