Julian Assange’s friends and family are asking Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to publicly demand the extradition of the co-founder of WikiLeaks to the United States on espionage charges.
Key points:
- Julian Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton wants Australian government to publicly oppose extradition
- Shipton believes it would be difficult for the United States to say no to Australia
- Government ministers say they will not do diplomacy by “megaphone”
British Home Secretary Priti Patel gave Mr Assange a green light over the weekend to be sent to America, where he faces 18 charges related to his role in the publication of classified cables and sensitive military equipment. of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At 7.30am it has been said that the federal government has raised the situation of the Australian citizen behind the scenes with our close allies, and the senior ministers have publicly said that they will not conduct diplomacy by “megaphone”.
But some of Assange’s closest allies fear that quiet, backstage performances in the United States and the United Kingdom may not be enough.
They say there is a strong possibility that Assange could be on a plane in a few weeks and urge the prime minister to make a public statement, clearly expressing Australia’s displeasure.
“There will be some diplomacy behind the scenes, but just make the position clear publicly,” Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton told Albanese.
Julian Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton. (Twitter: Gabriel Shipton)
“Be clear about what the Australians are asking you to do, which is to take Julian home.
“It puts them in a position where they have to say no to a strategic ally. I really don’t see the Biden Administration turning around and saying no to one of its most strategic allies right now.”
Last year, Albanese said he did not know the purpose of Mr. Assange’s ongoing imprisonment.
“A very high price has been paid,” said the then opposition leader.
“Now, I do not agree with a whole series of views of Julian Assange, but there needs to be a point where you say that is enough,” he added.
Today, Albanese has stated that he maintains his previous comments, but has not repeated them.
“I will too. There are people who think that if you put things in capital letters on Twitter and put an exclamation point that somehow makes it more important. It’s not like that,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese resists pressure to publicly call for an end to Julian Assange’s extradition. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has long advocated the release of the co-founder of WikiLeaks and believes his support has grown substantially in the federal parliament.
He said the prime minister could count on significant and cross-cutting support if he made a public statement.
“We have run out of time for channels of attention and diplomatic maneuvers. What we need now is the strongest possible action by the Australian government,” Wilkie said.
“I have no doubt that Anthony Albanese would have to make a strong comment … it would make a difference.
“Now more than ever the Australian government needs to stop biting its words, hiding behind every excuse and taking action.”
Assange’s lawyers plan to appeal the extradition decision of the UK Home Secretary in the next two weeks.
Contradictory views within the government on Assange’s plight
Labor MP Julian Hill says the extradition is “horrible”. (ABC News)
Assange’s lawyers have always maintained that he is a journalist, or a publisher, who is being persecuted by the United States for embarrassing him by exposing the bad military.
But the U.S. Department of Justice accuses him of being involved in illegal piracy and of helping Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst, obtain classified information.
There are various opinions with the Federal Labor Party about Mr Assange’s plight and what needs to be done.
Backbencher Julian Hill called the extradition “horrible.”
“[Chelsea] Manning, who leaked classified material exposing U.S. war crimes, has been pardoned, but Assange, who published it (a journalistic activity) faces an effective death sentence, “he wrote in a tweet.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles is among a group of MPs who seem less interested in intervening.
In a statement, a spokeswoman said “this is a UK issue”, adding that Mr Assange could expect consular assistance like other Australians facing legal proceedings abroad.
A spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says Julian Assange could expect consular assistance “like other Australians”. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Some Labor MPs do not like Mr. Assange because he published unwritten documents. The US has long said that this endangers some of its secret sources.
Other lawmakers dislike the fact that he fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault, an investigation that was suspended a few years ago.
Some share similar views with Democratic politicians in the United States. He is suspected of damaging Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign when he posted emails from the Democratic Party and its campaign president ahead of the 2016 election, which were eventually won by Donald Trump.
“This case is not about the 2016 publications,” said Jennifer Robinson, one of Mr. Assange’s lawyers.
“It’s not part of this case at all, so whatever your political views … it’s not the reason Julian faces a US prison for the rest of his life.”
Assange accumulates more high-profile allies
Kylie Moore-Gilbert says the conditions in which Julian Assange is detained are similar to torture.
There has been a persistent campaign by Assange supporters to pressure politicians over his case.
A number of MPs said at 7.30am that they had received a large number of phone calls since the federal election.
But in recent months, the co-founder of Wikileaks has also received support from high-profile Australians outside of politics.
“I may not agree with Assange and everything he and Wikileaks have done in the past, but I don’t think he’s a spy,” said Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an academic and author who was arrested in the United States. Iran, falsely accused of espionage. .
He said being imprisoned without a clear end date is like torture and has a huge mental cost.
“If you are kept in these conditions with no hope of release and no end in sight, no light at the end of the tunnel, that is part of the torture,” he said.
“You despair, you give up, maybe you hurt yourself, maybe you want to end everything and, you know, kill yourself.
“Reports on Assange suggest he’s in this place right now. I’m very, very worried.”
Watch this story at 7.30 on ABC iview.
Posted 1 hour ago 1 hour Monday, June 20, 2022 at 9:54 AM, updated 1 hour ago Mon. June 20, 2022 at 10:06 AM