Australian lawmakers press US envoy for Julian Assange launch | Julian Assange Information

Assange’s supporters say he’s an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised as a result of he uncovered the US wrongdoings.

Australian lawmakers have met United States Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, urging her to assist drop the pending extradition case in opposition to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and permit him to return to Australia.

The “Carry Julian Assange Dwelling Parliamentary Group” mentioned on Tuesday it knowledgeable Kennedy of “the widespread concern in Australia” in regards to the continued detention of Assange, an Australian citizen.

The assembly comes earlier than US President Joe Biden’s scheduled go to to Australia this month for the Quad leaders’ summit.

“There are a number of views about Assange within the Australian group and the members of the Parliamentary Group mirror that variety of views. However what just isn’t in dispute within the Group is that Mr Assange is being handled unjustly,” the legislators mentioned in an announcement after assembly Kennedy within the capital, Canberra.

Assange is battling extradition from the UK to the US the place he’s needed on felony expenses over the discharge of confidential army information and diplomatic cables in 2010. Washington says the discharge of the paperwork had put lives at risk.

Assange’s supporters say he’s an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised as a result of he uncovered US wrongdoings, together with in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The US embassy in Australia confirmed the assembly in a tweet however didn’t share additional particulars.

‘Thousands and thousands of Australians’

Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, mentioned he felt the assembly was an “necessary acknowledgement” by the US authorities that “Julian’s freedom is necessary to tens of millions of Australians”.

“After [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese] expressed frustration with the Biden administration, that is now a take a look at for Ambassador Kennedy to see if she will be able to transfer Washington on this concern,” mentioned Shipton.

Albanese, who has been advocating for the discharge of Assange, final week aired his frustration for not but discovering a diplomatic repair over the problem.

Help for Assange amongst US policymakers stays low. Only some members of Congress have come ahead in assist of the demand to drop expenses in opposition to him.

If extradited, Assange faces a sentence of as much as 175 years in a maximum-security jail.