Fifty years ago in giving birth for the first time as a young mother, I thought there could be no greater pain. But it was soon forgotten when I held my beautiful baby boy in my arms. I named him Julian.

I realise now that I was wrong. There is a greater pain.

The unending gut-wrenching pain of being the mother of a multi-award winning journalist who had the courage to publish the truth about high level government crimes and corruption.

The pain of watching my son who sought to publish important truths, being endlessly globally smeared.

The pain of watching my son who risked his life to expose injustice, being fitted up and denied a fair legal process, over and over again.

The pain of seeing my healthy child slowly wasting away from being denied proper health and medical care for years in detention.

The anguish of seeing my boy cruelly psychologically tortured to try and break his huge spirit.

The constant nightmare of him being extradited to the US and being buried alive in extreme solitary confinement for the rest of his life.

The constant fear the CIA will carry out its plans to assassinate him.

The rush of sadness as I saw his frail exhausted body slumping from a mini-stroke in the last hearing due to chronic stress.

Many people are also traumatised by seeing a vengeful superpower using its unlimited resources to bully and destroy a single defenceless individual.

I wish to thank all the caring decent citizens globally protesting Julian’s brutal political persecution .

Please keep raising your voices to your politicians till it’s all they can hear.

His life is in your hands.

Christine Assange