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A petition calling for WikiLeaks​ founder Julian Assange to be released from prison has been signed by more than 130 prominent figures from the world of art, politics and media in Germany.

Signatories to the appeal include former vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, former vice president of the European Commission Gunter Verheugen and a number of former federal ministers.

It says that the continued detention of the 48-year-old in Belmarsh prison in London was a “serious violation” of basic human rights, in spite of his “critical state of health”.

Assange is awaiting an extradition hearing on behalf of the United States over the activities of WikiLeaks.

The German appeal, which is supported by Reporters Without Borders Germany, as well as members of Amnesty International, Transparency International, the German Journalists’ Union (dju), the Whistleblower Network and the writers’ association PEN-Germany, calls on the British Government to “release Julian Assange from prison immediately so that he can recover under specialist medical supervision and exercise his basic rights without hindrance”.

The move follows a meeting organised by the charity Humanade in London, attended by hundreds of people, including professor Nils Melzer, UN special rapporteur on torture, who has warned that Assange is being denied legal rights and is being subjected to psychological torture that could cost him his life.