Australian Federal MPs recently voted in favour of a motion supporting the return of Wikileaks’ founder, Julian Assange, to his homeland Australia. This is ahead of a scheduled US extradition hearing set to take place in London’s High Court of Justice in the coming week. The Australian Parliament engaged in an exceptional display of political support for Assange, prompting both the US and UK to help expedite the matter.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, alongside various Cabinet and Federal ministers, voted in support of the motion demanding Assange’s release and repatriation to Australia on Wednesday. Independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie proposed the successful motion, which amassed 86 votes in favour against 42.
The motion underlined the necessity for the US and the UK to aid in the closure of this matter to facilitate Assange’s return to his relatives in Australia. During the debate in the House of Representatives, Wilkie voiced his concern for the perilous implications Assange’s extradition could potentially bear on global media freedom. He expressed fears that Assange’s extradition could embolden a frightening precedent for journalists around the world, endangering them merely for executing their professions.
In response to the passing of the vote, Albanese iterated Parliament’s view that “enough is enough” and that it is high time to conclude the matter. The Prime Minister stressed Parliament’s role in expressing concern to other governments, assuring the matter has been raised at the highest levels across structures in both the US and the UK.
Meanwhile, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus mentioned that the Australian government’s stance on Assange has not changed following a dialogue with his US counterpart, Merrick Garland, last month in Washington. Dreyfus stated the Australian government’s position on the matter remains straightforward.
Assange, currently being detained in the UK’s Belmarsh prison, faces the risk of extradition to the US related to charges over the 2010 WikiLeaks’ exposure of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables. If extradited to the US, Assange will face 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse.
Organisations such as Amnesty International continue to express concern over potential violations of Assange’s human rights if he were to be extradited, highlighting the pivotal role this case plays in shaping global media freedom. Counter-terrorism and criminal justice specialist Julia Hall from Amnesty International warns of the potential repercussions of Assange’s extradition on publishers and investigative journalists globally.
The British government approved Assange’s extradition to the US back in June 2022. However, Assange has remained in Belmarsh pending an appeal against the Home Secretary’s extradition decision by his lawyers.
London’s High Court of Justice is set to hold a hearing on February 20 and 21 regarding the possibility of an appeal against Assange’s extradition to the US. The result of the hearing may either pave the way for Assange to further argue his case before the UK courts or indicate that all avenues of appeal in the UK have been exhausted. Stella Assange, Assange’s wife, indicates possible recourse to the European Court of Human Rights if no further options are available within the UK.