Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who a court ruled last week could be extradited to the U.S., suffered a stroke in Belmarsh Prison in London during his court appeal in October, his fiancée claims.
Stella Morris revealed to the Daily Mail Friday night that she believes Assange's mini-stroke resulted from the stress of the ongoing court battle, in which the U.S. had been seeking his extradition, and an overall decline in his health.
The stroke reportedly occurred during a virtual High Court appearance on October 27, when he was left with a drooping right eyelid, memory loss and signs of neurological damage.
"Julian is struggling and I fear this mini-stroke could be the precursor to a more major attack," Morris said. "It compounds our fears about his ability to survive the longer this long legal battle goes on."
"It urgently needs to be resolved. Look at animals trapped in cages in a zoo. It cuts their life short. That's what's happening to Julian. The never-ending court cases are extremely stressful mentally," she continued.
Morris also said Assange was held in his cell for extended periods of time and was "short of fresh air and sunlight, an adequate diet and the stimulus he needs."
Assange had an MRI scan following the incident and is currently taking anti-stroke medication.
News of his stroke comes after an appellate court in the United Kingdom on Friday overturned a ruling made earlier this year by a lower court preventing his extradition to the U.S. to face espionage charges over publishing to Wikileaks classified documents exposing America's alleged war crimes.
His lawyers successfully argued in October that he would be a suicide risk if extradited to the U.S. But the High Court reversed the ruling after a lawyer for the U.S. government assured the court that any prison sentence handed down could be carried out in Australia.
Morris, along with Assange's supporters, argues that his imprisonment and potential extradition are an attack on a free press while detractors see him as a traitor for leaking classified military documents.
"This goes to the fundamentals of press freedom and democracy, we will fight - this is an abusive, vindictive prosecution," Morris told reporters Sunday.
She said Friday, following the court's decision, that she and Assange plan on appealing the decision "at the earliest possible moment."