JULIAN ASSANGE will address the Council of Europe next week to give evidence following a report highlighting the implications of his detention on human rights and the freedom of journalism.

The Pace inquiry report found that the WikiLeaks founder qualified as a political prisoner and called on Britain to conduct an independent review into whether he was exposed to inhuman or degrading treatment while incarcerated.

Thorhildur Sunna Avarsdottir, report author and general rapporteur for political prisoners, emphasises how Mr Assange’s case is a high-profile example of transnational repression.

The report discusses how governments employ legal and extra-legal measures to suppress dissent across borders, posing significant threats to press freedom and human rights.

Mr Assange will give testimony before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights on October 1, making it his first since before his imprisonment in 2019.

Campaigners have said that his appearance before Europe’s foremost human rights and treaty-setting body emphasises the broader implications of his case.