Thread by @cdeloire

THREAD We had an official authorization (number 645511) to meet Julian Assange this morning, confirmed on March 31st, but we were finally barred access to Belmarsh prison at the last minute for a spurious reason. It's a shame. #PressFreedom

I made the trip from Paris and am outraged by this deviation from the normality of the file. The officer at Belmarsh prison notified us of the prison governor's decision to deny us access to Assange at the last minute. #PressFreedom

While we have been undergoing a “screening” process for months, she would have received information that we are journalists. This is obviously an argument of appalling bad faith. #PressFreedom

A completely absurd official explanation: I have never made a secret of my status as a journalist since 1996 and the administration could not ignore it. We were visiting Julian Assange as representatives of an NGO, not an editorial office. 2 journalists have already met Assange.

This is only a small detail in comparison to the hallucinating treatment of Julian Assange, who has been in prison for 4 years after 7 years of confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. We urge an end to this judicial harassment. #PressFreedom

Julian Assange is prosecuted for his contribution to journalism and this procedure threatens journalism as a whole. Enough is enough. The United States must put an end to these lawsuits. He was very disappointed by this refusal, just told us his wife. #PressFreedom