I think this is the point of Assange. They're making an example of him, to deter people who wish to do the same thing. It's theater to show us how beaten and conquered we are. If you convince someone they're powerless, then you don't even have to fight them to rule over them. In addition to be a reflection of the malfunctioning justice system, it's also programming, to make us feel not-free, in our own minds.