MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. The Western countries’ actions towards the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, are aimed at "annihilating" him, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Wednesday.

"The actions taken by our Western partners over the past few years smack of cannibalism. All this is not about some double standards or defiance of lofty principles and ideals. It’s about the annihilation of an individual, revenge for his stance, for his courage and for the fact that he deemed it necessary, apparently aware of the potential risks, to share with the world some crucial information that shed light on the lies and deceit committed by a number of states," she said.

Zakharova expressed surprise that the international community’s reaction to the inhuman treatment of Assange was so slack.

"Everybody can see that this man is being annihilated. He looks like two different people. Everybody can see his current condition, not to mention the campaign of victimization the champions of democracy have organized against him."

Assange has been in custody in London’s Belmarsh Prison since April 2019, after the embassy of Ecuador revoked his asylum, which he had enjoyed for seven years. In January, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court refused to extradite Assange to the United States where he faces 18 criminal charges, but at the same time ruled that he should stay in custody until the US appeal has been considered. On December 10, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales upheld the US Department of Justice’s appeal filed in the case of the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the US.

In the United States, Assange is charged with a number of offenses in connection with the largest disclosure of classified information in US history. If convicted on all counts, he may be handed a 175-year prison term.