Assange invites King Charles III to the horrors of Belmarsh prison
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London: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who is incarcerated in the UK prison of Belmarsh, wrote King Charles ahead of his coronation, inviting him to visit the prison. He detailed in sarcastic words the horrors of the world inside the jail where he has been captive for more than four years, The Guardian reports.
"On the coronation of my liege, I thought it only fitting to extend a heartfelt invitation to you to commemorate this momentous occasion by visiting your very own kingdom within a kingdom: his majesty's prison Belmarsh," The Guardian quotes the letter.
The Australian journalist Assange has only published the letter so far after being sent to prison.
He writes in sarcasm that the measure of a society could be understood from how it treats its prisoners, and "your kingdom has surely excelled in that regard," he writes.
There are 687 prisoners in the establishment, "supporting the United Kingdom's record as the nation with the largest prison population in Western Europe," he says.
An Australian citizen, Assange was arrested for leaking hundreds of thousands of documents about the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, along with diplomatic cables. He stays at Belmarsh as he battles the US motion to extradite him to face charges of leaking documents.
He writes in the letter about the UK government's commitment to roll out the biggest expansion of prison places and the "culinary delights" of eating on a two-pound-a-day budget.
He says, "As a political prisoner, held at your majesty's pleasure on behalf of an embarrassed foreign sovereign, I am honoured to reside within the walls of this world-class institution," Guardian quotes.
After having "gustatory pleasure", the King would get the opportunity to pay respects to his late friend, who committed suicide.
"Beyond the gustatory pleasures … you will also have the opportunity to pay your respects to my late friend Manoel Santos, a gay man facing deportation to Bolsonaro's Brazil, who took his own life just eight yards from my cell using a crude rope fashioned from his bedsheets," the letter reads.
Sarcastically praising the quality of life inside the establishment, he says that if listened closely, the King could hear prisoners crying about ill fate there, "…cries of 'Brother, I'm going to die in here.." He invites the King to the most "isolated place within [the] walls" of Belmarsh, Healthcare, or 'Healthcare'" and the Belmarsh "End of Life Suite", The Guardian quotes.
He states that visiting the "His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh" would be an honour befitting a king.
Then, "As you embark upon your reign, may you always remember the words of the King James Bible: 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy'. And may mercy be the guiding light of your kingdom, both within and without the walls of Belmarsh," the letter says.
