A lawyer for Julian Assange has called on the Australian government to negotiate a political path for the WikiLeaks founder to avoid extradition to the US following a legal ruling in London.
US prosecutors’ plans to extradite the 52-year-old Australian from Britain and put him on trial for the release of confidential US military documents and diplomatic cables have been put on hold after London’s High Court said on Tuesday that US authorities must provide guarantees indicate that he will not receive the death penalty.
Two British Supreme Court judges said they would grant Assange, who has been held in a high-security prison in London since 2019, a new appeal if US authorities do not provide such guarantees within three weeks.
‘We want the Australian government to continue to push for a political solution because Julian will remain in Belmarsh Prison… and his conditions there have been appalling, his health continues to deteriorate and this is ultimately a political matter. lawyer Greg Barns SC told ABC TV after the decision in London.
Anthony Albanese and the Australian government must continue to put pressure on US officials in the case of Julian Assange (pictured), says one of his lawyers
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last month that his government was using diplomatic channels to secure Assange’s release and had raised the issue with US President Joe Biden.
“There really needs to be continued political commitment because this could take several months,” Mr Barns said.
‘There has been a long delay in the way the appeal process has been conducted in Britain in his case… and so we would like to say to the Prime Minister and to the MPs who support Julian Assange that this is not the time to take your foot off the pedal .’
Mr Barns added that ‘people should not be extradited to the United States if there is a risk of cruel and unusual punishment’.
The British judges provisionally allowed Assange to launch a full appeal against extradition, saying it was not certain that the Australian would have the right to invoke the right to freedom of expression in the US Constitution as a foreigner.
Stella Assange described the British court’s decision on her husband as ‘bizarre’.
“The court has recognized that Julian is being exposed to a blatant denial of his right to freedom of expression, that he is being discriminated against on the basis of his nationality – an Australian – and that he continues to be exposed to the death penalty,” Assange said.
“What the courts have done is invite political intervention from the United States… send a letter saying, ‘It’s all fine.’ I find this amazing,” she told reporters.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said he welcomed the court’s openness to allowing Assange to appeal his extradition.
‘Hopefully a new appeal will be successful. Better yet, the US drops charges against Assange,” Wilkie said.
“The US should not continue to pursue Assange, but instead drop all charges against him, allow him to reunite with his family and return to Australia.”
Anthony Albanese (pictured) has been called in to negotiate a political path for the WikiLeaks founder to avoid extradition to the US following a legal ruling in London