Thread by @JuanAndOnlyDude

Day 13: #JulianAssange's extradition hearing. Expecting more medical testimony today, from Dr. Blackwood and Dr. Sondra Crosby.
#AssangeCase

Due to the personal nature of the medical testimonies I will refrain from tweeting details.

By June #Assange had lost a lot of weight.

By July - August #Assange complained to be placed in the healthcare unit because he was being kept in isolation. A nurse stated that he was a “living ghost”.

By December he had trouble concentrating and was sleeping under his bed.
#AssangeCase

He was then moved to general population and his condition improved.
#AssangeCase

Relevant for the case: Dr Blackwood finds Assange to be moderately depressed and able to manage his risk of suicide. This differs from the findings of defense doctors.

Dr. Blackwood says that even if #Assange does have symptoms of the Autism spectrum, he’s probably in the mildest side of the spectrum.
#AssangeCase

Blackwood now more directly challenging Dr Kopelman's assessments, referring to the fact that Assange was never taken out of the prison for medical help. Recall that more than 60 doctors called for Assange to get medical help outside the prison in Nov 2019
medium.com/@doctors4assan…

Defence starts cross-examination.
18th of May: There was a report that Dr. Blackwood has not seen which suggests that the staff were worried of #Assange wellbeing and safety.
#AssangeCase

Blackwood said he thought Assange was prone to "self-dramatizing". End of prosecution questioning. Defense cross-examining. Defense explaining to Blackwood that he drew on reports from the prison psychologist, with whom others have said Assange has had a difficult relationship.

Talking about why Assange was moved to the medical wing in Belmarsh last year -- the prison psychologist didn't properly explain to Dr. Blackwood that the move was related to suicidal risk, prison psych said it was about the prison's "reputational risk"
#AssangeCase

Ed Fitzgerald asks if it is appropriate to keep a patient in isolation would be inappropriate and increase depression.
Blackwood: yes

Dr. Blackwood is using #JulianAssange’s resilience against him. I cannot see that as an unbiased medical observation.

I hear that Dr. Blackwood is the doctor of choice for the government to extradite people. He is consultant forensic psychiatrist with the South London and mausley NHS Trust at HMP Wandsworth (which is where extradition remand prisoners are held)
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Fitzgerald tells you that there is no solitary confinement and you take his word for it?

Blackwood: yes.

Blackwood actually says in his report that there's no solitary confinement in ADC.
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Court is adjourned.

Fitzgerald: you were not addressing the question wether it would be humane the #Assange’s conditions in the US prison.
Blackwood: no, only risk of suicide.
Fitzgerald: you haven’t visited any US federal penitentiaries?
Blackwood: no.

Fitzgerald: when you wrote your report you only based on what Mr. Kromberg?
Blackwood: well yes and some literature available in American prisons.
#AssangeCase

Fitzgerald: before you made your report you hadn’t read the defence medical reports?
Blackwood: no.
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Fitzgerald: you didn’t look at what he would be subjected to in ADX Florence?
Blackwood: No, I relied on what Mr #Assange told me.
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Fitzgerald: If #Assange is extradited he would be subjected to the same treatment that all other prisoners are subjected under SAMs. Would that be psychologically detrimental to Mr. #Assange?
Blackwood: Yes I believe that’s true?

Blackwood: #Assange had around a 25% weight loss, that could be an indication of depression.
#AssangeCase

Fitzgerald: you were aware that @xychelsea attempted suicide in the detention centre that he would kept in.
Blackwood: yes, and Mr Assange reminded me of it.
Fitzgerald: but you decided to take Kromberg’s words.
Blackwood: my conclusions are written in my report.

Fitzgerald notes the psyciatrist if said in his report #Assange was not autistic and asked if he he did any tests to check this he says he did not and relied on other people's work.
#AssangeCase

5 minute break. The camera pans to Julian who seems to be instructing Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has to put his ear to the glass in order to hear #Assange. Julian is wearing a mask and is well groomed with a smart suit, white shirt and tie.

Back in court.
Fitzgerald: you have notes os interviews with #Assange. And maybe notes with Mr Davies. You will provide us any notes will you?
Blackwood: yes, happy to share.

Lewis is back! My oh my!

Lewis makes a couple of quick questions. And Blackwood was dismissed.
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Dr. Crosby is on the stand virtually taking the oath.
She saw #Assange on a number of occasions starting in October 2017 in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
She is a licensed physician and specialist in asylum seekers and those who have experienced torture.
#AssangeCase

She also visited Mr #Assange in Belmarsh prison on October 2019 and January 2020.
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Crosby: when I saw him he described to me symptoms of depression and ptsd. He also complained of physical symptoms that I have no resources to evaluate him in.

In Belmarsh he described depression and suicidal thoughts and bing watched documentary series of the suicide of a person who had committed war crimes.
#AssangeCase

In my further visit his his depression was worse in December 2019.
#AssangeCase

#Assange told me that he was not revealing the full extent of his depression because he feared that he would be put under worse conditions.
#AssangeCase

Dr Crosby deals with depression and ptsd on a daily basis.

Crosby: When I saw #Assange in October 2019 he met all the criteria for major depression. The biggest trigger is the extradition to the US which he would view as intolerable condition.
#AssangeCase

Crosby: My view is that Mr. #Assange is at risk of committing suicide if he’s extradited to the US.
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Crosby: I do think that he is not only at psychological risks but also physical risks.
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Lewis: you describe #Assange being confined in the embassy while he skipped bail.
Crosby: I would associate Mr #Assange’s psychological state without that of a man chasing him with a knife or axe and him locking him in a room where if he goes out he would be subjected to harm.

Crosby: I relied on Mr. Melzer’s two medical experts stated. I only relied on the medical experts, I have no comments on Mr Melzer’s political statements.
The two medical experts observations were aligned with mine.

Fitzgerald: I can read the statement of Christopher Butler about archive.org which holds hundreds of thousands of copies of websites published and at the time through the way back machine. It holds many copies a Wikileaks website.

Fitzgerald reads the statement of John Young, founder of Cryptome.org who started that he published the full underacted set of cables before @wikileaks and they remain there up to this date. No authority has made any contact to ask for the material to be taken down.

Court finishes for the day.