Doctors have renewed their calls to end the “torture and medical neglect” of Julian Assange and condemned his lack of access to medical care in a letter to the Lancet, signed by more than 100 doctors.

The Doctors for Assange group have again urged action over Mr Assange’s physical and mental state.

The WikiLeaks founder is being held in London’s Belmarsh Prison until a hearing on 24 February, which could result in him being extradited to the US to face charges related to WikiLeaks.

“(Mr) Assange is in a dire state of health, due to the effects of prolonged psychological torture in both the Ecuadorian embassy in London and Belmarsh Prison, where he has been arbitrarily detained, according to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention,” says the letter in the Lancet, published on Monday and signed by 117 doctors from around the world.