Australia’s parliament has passed a motion calling for the release of Julian Assange, who is currently in London’s Belmarsh Prison. Assange is set to appear in front of the UK’s High Court for his final appeal against US extradition. The Australian citizen is wanted in the US on espionage charges and could face up to 175 years in prison.
Australian MPs voted in favor of allowing Assange to return home, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supporting the motion. Albanese has been calling for a conclusion to the Assange case since taking office in 2022, and he raised the matter with US President Joe Biden during a state visit in October. A cross-party delegation of Australian MPs also traveled to Washington to lobby US lawmakers for Assange’s freedom.
Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is wanted for publishing classified documents in 2010 and 2011. US authorities argue that this broke the law and put lives at risk. Assange has consistently claimed that the case against him is politically motivated. His legal team has raised concerns about his mental health and the risk of suicide if he is extradited to the US.
In 2021, a UK judge blocked Assange’s extradition due to concerns for his mental health. However, the High Court later reversed that decision, stating that the US had demonstrated that Assange would be safely cared for. In 2022, the US extradition request was approved by then Home Secretary Priti Patel, leading to Assange’s renewed legal appeal.
Assange’s family has been urging the Australian government to do more to secure his release, warning that he could face decades in the US justice system if extradited. Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus has raised the matter with his US counterpart, Merrick Garland, during a recent meeting in Washington. Dreyfus stated that the government’s position on Assange is clear and that it is time for the matter to be resolved.
Assange has been in high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019. Prior to that, he spent seven years seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Overall, the Australian parliament’s motion, along with the efforts of the Prime Minister and cross-party delegation, reflects the ongoing international debate and concern regarding Assange’s extradition and his case, which has political and human rights implications.
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