Whether you love him or loathe him, the treatment of Tommy Robinson at HMP Woodhill cannot be ignored.
129+ days in solitary confinement—locked in a cell for 22 hours a day, facing an 18-month sentence for the so-called crime of showing the public a documentary the state wanted to keep hidden.
This isn’t just punishment. It’s political persecution. And, more disturbingly, it breaches international law.
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT: A PATH TO PSYCHOLOGICAL DESTRUCTION
Under the United Nations Mandela Rules, 15 days in solitary confinement is considered the threshold beyond which it becomes cruel and inhuman treatment. Robinson has been subjected to nearly 130 days of it—with no end in sight. His mental health is deteriorating rapidly, according to a damning independent psychological assessment.
A forensic psychologist with 15+ years in the NHS assessed Robinson and concluded: “This is mental torture.”
- His Complex PTSD (CPTSD) has been reactivated by the conditions of his isolation.
- He is suffering from paranoia, sleep deprivation, hypervigilance, social withdrawal, and extreme anxiety.
- His ADHD is exacerbating his distress, making it harder for him to cope.
Robinson himself describes his spiralling mental health: “I’ve lost my head. Dark dreams and cold sweats jolt me awake at 3am. I can’t sleep, I’m paranoid, helpless, and continually panic about my kids.”
This is not speculation—this is documented psychological harm. His legal team has now launched an emergency court challenge, citing multiple human rights violations.
Under international law, prolonged solitary confinement is classified as inhuman and degrading treatment, and in some cases, torture. The UN Mandela Rules explicitly state that any period of solitary confinement beyond 15 days is prohibited due to the risk of irreversible psychological harm. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture has reinforced this, warning that prolonged isolation can amount to torture, particularly when it exacerbates pre-existing mental health conditions—as is the case with Tommy Robinson, who has Complex PTSD and ADHD. His 129+ days in solitary confinement at HMP Woodhill are not just excessive but well beyond the internationally recognised threshold for inhuman treatment.
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) also prohibits cruel and degrading punishment, and Robinson’s documented mental deterioration—including paranoia, sleep deprivation, and psychological collapse—meets the criteria for a serious human rights violation. His continued isolation is a clear breach of international law, making it impossible to ignore the political nature of his imprisonment.
THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT TOMMY – IT’S ABOUT YOU
Make no mistake: if they can do this to Tommy Robinson, they can do it to anyone. The British state is proving that it will lock people away, isolate them, and break them if they step out of line.
What we are witnessing is political persecution, pure and simple. The criminalisation of dissent. A man locked in a cell for exposing the truth.
Robinson is not just fighting for himself—he’s fighting against the creeping authoritarianism that threatens us all. It’s time to wake up, Britain. State-sanctioned mental torture is happening on our soil, right now.
Please contact your MP today and tell them this is unacceptable.
