Julian Assange supporters ‘heartened’ by Aussie govt

Family, friends and supporters of imprisoned journalist Julian Assange were “heartened” and frustrated by the words of the Australian Government Attorney General yesterday.

Supporters, keen to secure the release of the Australian citizen as he fights extradition from Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom, may be frustrated but Greg Barns SC, a legal advisor to the 51 year old’s campaign, said in the Guardian that he was also “heartened” by Mark Dreyfus’ comments.

The 60 year old Barns said he wants more information regarding talks between Australia’s new Labour Government and the US administration to see what progress has been made, if any.

“We’re not asking for chapter and verse, we’re not asking for cables, we’re not asking for emails or briefing notes or memos.

“We’re simply saying it would be very useful to the great many Assange supporters in Australia and to his family for there to be some update on the part of the Australian government about the progress that’s being made.”

Barns accepts the new Aussie Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is earnest in wanting a resolution to the matter but he added the government needs to speed up the process because of Assange’s declining physical and mental health. Assange tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday and is still in isolation in his prison cell.

“This is a prisoner in a maximum security prison with a weakened health system who’s now got Covid. “That should be alarming to any Australian government.”

Dreyfus answered questions on Assange at the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday. He said…

“Mr Assange’s case has gone on long enough. The prime minister has said this. The foreign minister has said this. I’ve said this.

“I will say it again: it has gone on long enough. But we’re not going to conduct our representations to the government of the United States in public.”

Dreyfus added…

“I’ll say no more about that.”

The US embassy in Canberra declined to respond to Dreyfus’ remarks.

Press freedom campaigners and human rights groups argue the prosecution of Assange under the US Espionage Act sets “a dangerous precedent.”

Daniel Ellsberg, a whistleblower prosecuted 50 years ago for releasing the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War, said that the extradition would mean that journalists, anywhere in the world, could be extradited to the US for exposing information classified in the US.”

Assange and WikiLeaks came to public prominence in 2010 when it published a series of leaks provided by US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

In essence, Assange revealed the war crimes and illegal activities committed in Iraq and Afghanistan by the US and UK administrations.

After the information became public knowledge, the US launched a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks.

Assange was granted asylum by the Ecuador Embassy in London in 2012 and he remained there until 2019 when it was withdrawn. He was then arrested by UK police.

On June 17 this year, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition. Assange appealed against the decision on July 2022.