James Lewis, the lawyer representing Washington at Assange's hearings in London, sought to poke holes in the testimony of renowned professor of neuropsychiatry, Michael Kopelman, who said on Tuesday that the WikiLeaks founder is suffering from "severe depression" after being confined to the maximum security Belmarsh Prison for over 16 months.

Kopelman, who has visited Assange more than 20 times in prison, opined that if the court rules in favor of extradition to the US, it might drive Assange to take his own life. He pointed out that the Australian's years-long isolation at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the history of depression running in his family make the scenario even more plausible.

It's the imminence of extradition and/or an actual extradition that will trigger the [suicide] attempt, in my opinion

Lewis argued that the symptoms of depression Kopelman saw in Assange are no more than pretense, suggesting that Assange has learned how to imitate the condition by reading the British Medical Journal in his cell and might have lied about having hallucinations, reported Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola, who attended the hearing.

Lewis also blasted the expert for not identifying Assange's partner, Stella Morris, by name in his first report, which Kopelman said was omitted for the sake of her privacy. Lewis then argued that the fact that Assange had a wife and two small children was "a protective factor against suicide" - a notion which Kopelman rejected, saying that suicide is not a sole prerogative of single people.

In a bid to show that the anti-secrecy activist's mental suffering is a cunning ploy to avoid extradition, Lewis, somewhat surprisingly, invoked the fact that Assange hosted a 12-episode interview show for RT, dubbed World Tomorrow, as far back in 2012, and even referenced his publication of documents exposing US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.

The prosecutor reportedly asked if the depression Assange ostensibly developed after spending years in self-imposed exile, as well as in prison, "prevented Mr Assange's solicitation or leaking of material from the US government."

Lewis' innuendo that Assange's depression is all just a show has prompted a harsh rebuke from WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson.

It's quite extraordinary to hear the questions which are indicative of their willingness to try to establish that Julian Assange is simply making this up. We see this as appalling in all respects

Should he lose the court battle and be extradited to the US, Assange will be tried under the World War I-era Espionage Act and faces up to 175 years behind bars.

During an interview on BBC radio on Wednesday, the minister was asked if Britain was now taking an approach similar to that of the Scandinavian country in its handling of the coronavirus crisis. "I don't accept that characterization," Raab said.

The 'Swedish approach' is characterized by avoiding a lockdown and, instead, emphasizing social distancing and hygiene. That country's health authorities have tried, if not to completely eradicate a disease, to at least slow the spread of the virus.

Commenting on the possibility of a new national lockdown, Raab told Sky News: "That is what we want to avoid." In another interview, with LBC radio, he said: "What we don't want is to have to take even more severe measures as we go through Christmas."

At the same time, Scotland's semi-autonomous government is taking more stringent measures, including banning any socializing between households.

"I've made a judgment that we are again at a tipping point with Covid, and I'm looking at data that alarms me, frankly," Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on ITV. She added, citing her scientific advisers, that the package announced by Johnson would be insufficient to bring down the rate of transmission.

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