‘His Life Is at Risk:’ Australian MPs Urge US, UK to Allow Assange’s Return

Julian Assange speaks to reporters in London on May 19, 2017. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other federal MPs backed a motion urging the United States and United Kingdom to halt the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and permit his return to Australia.

Mr. Assange, 52, is wanted in the U.S. for espionage and faces 18 charges related to disclosing highly classified information concerning the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010.

He is preparing for a High Court hearing in London on Feb. 20 in a final bid to avoid extradition to the U.S. on espionage charges.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who will travel to the UK for the hearing, initiated the motion with support from Labor, crossbench MPs, and Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer in a vote of 86 to 42.

“Sadly, we’ve just about run out of time to save Julian Assange,” Mr. Wilkie told Parliament.

Mr. Assange is currently held in HM Prison Belmarsh in the UK after spending seven years under political asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

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The multi-award-winning journalist potentially faces 175 more years behind bars if the High Court rejects the hearing.

“This is an Australian citizen who has endured inhumane conditions for over decade just for doing his job as a journalist and simply telling the truth. When I visited Julian in Belmarsh Prison four years ago, he was already in a terribly fragile state, both mentally and physically. The extradition would amount to a death sentence,” Mr. Wilkie added.

“If Mr. Assange is extradited to the U.S., it would be a direct attack on media freedom, as it would set a frightening precedent for all journalists that they too are at risk of being locked up, just for doing their job.”

“Surely, this man has suffered enough, and the matter must be brought to an end,” he pleaded.

Greens Senator for New South Wales, David Shoebridge, cautioned that Mr. Assange could be “secretly whisked away” if he fails in London next week.

“There is a real fear that if Julian Assange loses his case next week that, he will whisked away on a secret plane to a secret jail—that’s a deeply undocumented outcome and chilling for journalism.”

Labor MP Josh Wilson added Australians are eager to witness Mr. Assange’s release.

“While there may well be a range of views about Mr. Assange ... his further incarceration and prosecution is seen by many to represent an injustice,” he said.

“People should remember that Julian Assange has now been imprisoned for a considerable period without having been convicted of any substantial charge.”

Australian politicians from all parties have agreed Mr. Assange has been treated unjustly, with both the prime minister and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton saying the matter had gone on for too long and “enough was enough.”

Despite Mr. Dutton’s previous comments, he and other Coalition frontbenchers ultimately voted against the motion in parliament.

Cross-Party Politicians Urge US Congress to Drop Assange Case

The vote coincides with a cross-party delegation of Australian federal politicians urging the U.S. Congress to drop its case against Mr. Assange.

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said he discussed the Assange issue with his U.S. counterpart, Merrick Garland, during their meeting in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago.

“This was a private discussion; however, this government’s position on Mr. Assange is very clear and has not changed,” Mr. Dreyfus said.

“It is time this matter is brought to an end.”

Co-Convenor of the Alliance Against Political Prosecutions Marie Ryan added the Australian government had to persuade the United States to drop the extradition over the publishing of “inconvenient truths.”

“We hold grave concerns for Assange’s survival if extradited to the United States. Given his precarious mental and physical health and the inhumane conditions in which he will be held under the Espionage Act,” she said.

“If next week’s last-ditch hearing in London doesn’t lead to his immediate release, we call on United Kingdom Home Secretary James Cleverly to refuse extradition. The political nature of the prosecution alone gives adequate grounds for this decision.”

The Mr. Albanese said he discussed Mr. Assange’s situation with U.S. President Joe Biden during his recent visit to the United States.

However, he noted Mr. Biden doesn’t involve himself in the Department of Justice’s affairs.

“Joe Biden is a president who understands the separation of the judicial system from the political system. That’s an important principle,” he said.

Nevertheless, when questioned about pursuing a plea deal, the prime minister responded, “Australian officials are working very hard to achieve an outcome which is consistent with the position I’ve put.”

Assange At Risk Of Suicide, Lawyer Warns

In 2021, a UK judge decided not to send Mr. Assange to the U.S. due to concerns about his mental well-being, but this ruling was reversed on appeal.

His health has since worsened over the years.

He is at risk of suicide if the UK High Court rejects his final appeal against extradition to the United States next week, his lawyer warned.

International human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson states her client’s mental health is so poor that he may not survive extradition if the High Court does not rule in his favour.

“Because of the treatment he has suffered, he suffers a major depressive illness, he has been diagnosed as being on the [autism] spectrum, and the medical evidence is if he was extradited to the United States, those conditions would cause him to commit suicide.”

“So his life is at risk, and I am not exaggerating that.”