Australian lawmakers to travel to US, urging Assange's extradition
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Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been embroiled in a complex and contentious legal battle, making his plight one of the most high-profile cases in recent years.
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Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange take part in a Night Carnival for Assange march in London, February 2023. (AFP)
A delegation of Australian lawmakers is scheduled to visit the United States this month with the aim of advocating for the release of the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange. The bipartisan group will include former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who expressed during a news conference on Tuesday that it is time for a resolution to this matter.
It's incredibly important that we use this opportunity to convey to the United States as even as a very strong ally, that the issue pertinent to Mr. Assange should be coming to a conclusion. Enough is enough. He's been incarcerated now for a long period of time.
- Barnaby Joyce, Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister
The Australian delegation plans to journey to the United States prior to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's scheduled visit to the White House in October. During their trip to Washington, D.C., the Australian politicians are anticipated to emphasize arguments related to freedom of speech as they advocate against the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder from the UK.
People of the United States feel strongly about their First Amendment rights to free speech and to freedom of the press, and Australians feel the same way. Australia is an excellent friend to the US. And it's not an unreasonable request to ask the US to cease this extradition attempt on Mr. Assange. He is a journalist.
- Monique Ryan, Independent Member of Australian Parliament
The delegation is anticipated to hold meetings with various representatives from the US Congress and Senate, as well as officials from the State and Justice Departments. They also plan to engage with think tanks like the American Civil Liberties Union and Reporters Without Borders.
This bipartisan delegation will strongly advocate for US leaders to abandon their pursuit of extraditing Julian Assange, an Australian citizen, to the United States.
Assange's woes: US shuns Australia's pleas in Ausmin talks
At the end of July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected Australia's demands to halt the pursuit of Julian Assange, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder's alleged actions pose a serious national security risk.
Julian Assange's lawyer recently cited suicide as a possible outcome if the Australian is extradited to the #US on his espionage charges.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 30, 2021
Here's a timeline of some key dates from Assange’s life.#JulianAssange #FreeAssange pic.twitter.com/FTSGibxwQO
During high-level discussions in Brisbane focused on military cooperation, Blinken acknowledged that Australia had raised Assange's case multiple times and understood the concerns of the Australian government. However, he emphasized that it was crucial for Australia to grasp the US' concerns about Assange's purported involvement in a significant compromise of classified information.
Enough is enough
At the time, Gabriel Shipton, Assange's brother, urged Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to advocate for Julian's freedom during his upcoming visit to the US. Shipton expressed disappointment in Blinken's stance, pointing out that Chelsea Manning, the person responsible for leaking the information Assange published, has been free since 2017.
“Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s snub to Australians demanding Julian’s freedom cuts deeper knowing the American who allegedly leaked the information has been free since 2017,” Shipton said.
Greg Barns, an advisor to the Australian Assange Campaign, also emphasized that Australia is the US' closest ally and called on Blinken to understand the overwhelming view of Australians, who demand Julian's immediate release to reunite with his family.
“Australia is the US’s closest ally,” Barns said.
“Mr Blinken needs to understand the overwhelming view of Australians, which is that enough is enough. Julian must be released immediately and be able to rejoin his family,” he added.
It is worth noting that Julian Assange; a name that emerged in the media and international arena after WikiLeaks, a website he founded in 2010, revealed important and dangerous information and facts about what the United States government and other governments have wrought in the West Asia - crimes they have not been held accountable for yet. As a result, Assange faced pressure and persecution, until he was arrested by the British police in 2019 after seeking refuge for seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
