Julian Assange\u2019s supporters in the Australian parliament have implored the U.S. government to \u201cget him the hell out of a maximum security prison\u201d regardless of diplomatic friction over the WikiLeaks founder\u2019s eventual fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pushed back at the Australian government\u2019s complaints that the pursuit of Assange had dragged on too long, with Washington’s top diplomat declaring that the WikiLeaks founder is alleged to have \u201crisked very serious harm to our national security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Australian citizen remains in Belmarsh prison in London as he fights a U.S. attempt to extradite him to face charges in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as diplomatic cables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Labor MP Julian Hill, a member of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group, said he had \u201ca fundamentally different view of the substance of the matter than secretary Blinken expressed.\u201d \u201cBut I appreciate that at least his remarks are candid and direct,\u201d Hill told Guardian Australia on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the same vein, I would say back to the United States: at the very least, take Julian Assange\u2019s health issues seriously and go into court in the United Kingdom and get him the hell out of a maximum security prison where he\u2019s at risk of dying without medical care if he has another stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hill, who said last week no one would think less of Assange if he struck a plea deal, added that improving the prison conditions \u201cshould not be difficult to do even while argument continues about resolution of this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After talks in Brisbane largely focused on military cooperation on Saturday, Blinken confirmed that the Australian government had raised the case with the U.S. on multiple occasions, and said he understood \u201cthe concerns and views of Australians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Blinken pointedly added that it was \u201cvery important that our friends here\u201d in Australia understood US concerns about Assange\u2019s \u201calleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The independent MP Andrew Wilkie, co-chair of the parliamentary group, said Assange was \u201cnot the villain\u201d in the story \u201cand if the US wasn\u2019t obsessed with revenge it would drop the extradition charge as soon as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAntony Blinken\u2019s allegation that Julian Assange risked very serious harm to US national security is patent nonsense,\u201d Wilkie said. \u201cMr Blinken would be well aware of the inquiries in both the U.S. and Australia which found that the relevant WikiLeaks disclosures did not result in harm to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referring to an incident in Iraq on 12 July 2007 \u2013 video footage of which WikiLeaks later released \u2013 Wilkie said: \u201cThe only deadly behaviour was by U.S. forces \u2026 exposed by WikiLeaks, like the Apache crew who gunned down Iraqi civilians and Reuters journalists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liberal MP Bridget Archer, another co-chair of the parliamentary group, acknowledged that the U.S. had its own domestic political concerns, but said Assange had been \u201cincarcerated overseas for a protracted period of time.\u201d \u201cHe continues to suffer mentally and physically, as does his family, and the government should redouble their efforts to secure his release and return to Australia,\u201d Archer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, standing next to Blinken, confirmed that the Australian government had \u201cmade clear our view that Mr Assange\u2019s case has dragged for too long, and our desire that it be brought to a conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wong added, however, that there were limits to what could be achieved in talks between governments \u201cuntil Mr Assange\u2019s processes have concluded.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A parliamentarian who supports Assange\u2019s release, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, said they believed the original decision to bring the charges against the publisher was political. But they said the Australian government\u2019s request to the U.S. government was politically difficult in the current environment, given that the former president Donald Trump is facing numerous charges and the administration has stressed that the Department of Justice has acted independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is understood that is why some Assange supporters now see him accepting a plea deal as the most achievable way to bring him back to Australia, where he could serve out a suspended sentence. However, many of his supporters are wary of such a step, arguing he must fight the extradition and should not plead guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assange\u2019s brother, Gabriel Shipton, described Blinken\u2019s comments as a \u201csnub\u201d and said the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, must \u201cput Australians\u2019 views in front of the president himself\u201d during a forthcoming visit to the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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