In terms of purpose, the public mistreatment of Assange is not about forcing a confession or otherwise coercing him to cooperate, but primarily serves to intimidate and deter other publishers, journalists, and whistleblowers who might be tempted to follow his example. In the absence of any evidence for a prosecutable crime, Assange’s persecution also aims to punish him arbitrarily – through intimidation, isolation, humiliation and endless proceedings – for having publicized the dirty secrets of the powerful.

—Nils Melzer, The Trial of Julian Assange, (London: Verso, 2022), 78.