WikiLeaks chief moved to prison’s segregation unit for own safety

Police moved WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange to the segregation unit of a London jail for his safety, his lawyer said yesterday as new cables showed the US suspects Myanmar has a secret nuclear programme.

The 39-year-old Australian has been moved from the main part of Wandsworth prison to an isolation unit, said Jennifer Robinson, one of Mr Assange’s legal team.

“The prison authorities are doing it for his own safety, presumably,” she said.

Mr Assange is due to appear in a London court for a second time on Tuesday after being arrested on a warrant issued by Sweden, where prosecutors want to question him about allegations of rape and sexual molestation made by two women.

WikiLeaks insists the allegations are politically motivated because the whistleblowing website has enraged Washington and governments around the world by releasing thousands of US diplomatic cables.

Dr Robinson complained that Mr Assange “does not get any recreation” in the prison and “has difficulties getting phone calls out... he is on his own”.

Mr Assange, a former computer hacker, is not allowed to have a laptop computer in his cell, but his lawyers have requested one.

“Obviously we are trying to prepare a legal appeal and he has difficulties hand writing, so it would be much easier in order to assist us in the preparation if he had a laptop,” Dr Robinson said.

She declined to elaborate on why he had difficulties writing.

Mr Assange is in “very good” spirits but “frustrated” that he cannot answer the allegations that WikiLeaks was behind cyber attacks launched on credit card firms which have refused to do business with the website.