justice
Australia’s prime minister calls for Assange’s release
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in court in London. photo
© Victoria Jones/PA Wire/dpa
There has been an international tug of war over the Wikileaks founder for eleven years. The US wants to have extradited the Australian citizen imprisoned in London – Australia’s prime minister sees it differently.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has again called for the release of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has been imprisoned in the UK. “Enough is enough,” Albanese told Australian broadcaster ABC on Friday. The continued detention of the 51-year-old Australian was “frustrating” and of no use to anyone.
“I think the Assange case needs to be looked at in terms of what happened, what the allegations are and whether the actual time served is beyond what would be reasonable if proven,” Albanese said.
Assange has been in a London prison for four years. Before that, he was stuck in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the British Embassy for seven years to avoid arrest and extradition to the US. Albanese said at the end of last year: “My position is clear and was also made clear to the US government: it is time to bring this matter to an end.” However, all his government’s diplomatic efforts have so far not led to a solution, he said now.
The United States accuses Assange of having stolen and published secret material from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with US whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of informants. If extradited, they face up to 175 years in prison. Supporters, on the other hand, see Assange as a courageous journalist who brought war crimes to light. The government in London has approved the extradition. The legal tug of war is not over yet.