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Melinda Taylor, Lawyer Geneva Press Club 26 January 2015
How Is Julian Assange being detained?
"Now, if you're in a castle surrounded by a moat with crocodiles, obviously you're free to leave if you're willing to swim across that moat and get eaten by crocodiles.
Similarly, as a matter of law and as Señor Garzon said, it's very clear under the European Court of Human Rights, it's very clear under the Human Rights Commission and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, you cannot be compelled to put your life at risk [and] you cannot be compelled to give up a fundamental right such as a right of asylum.
For this reason, for example, if you have asylum seekers in an airport, who are trying to claim asylum: yes, they can go back to where they came, but if they have to stay there for months or years, while their asylum application is being processed, that can be detention, because it's not a real choice to leave and expose yourself to a risk of persecution, a risk of harm, or a risk of torture.
And that is exactly what would happen to Mr Assange: the day he steps outside that door, he exposes himself of a risk of extradition to the united States, where he will face an unfair and illegal investigation. He will face a similar fate to Chelsea Manning, who was subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment, and that's just not a choice.
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