US ambassador signals possible plea deal with Julian Assange

US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy has hinted at a possible deal to allow Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to return to Australia.

Assange has been extradited to the US for over a decade on espionage charges and has claimed sanctuary in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years.

But now Ambassador Kennedy has said a solution is in the pipeline to end the long-running saga.

“It’s not really a diplomatic issue, but I think there could definitely be a solution,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“There’s a way to fix it.”

But she stressed that any possible agreement is “up to the Justice Department.”

Assange has been battling the British justice system for years to avoid being sent to the US, where he faces 17 espionage charges and one computer misuse charge over WikiLeaks’ publication of classified diplomatic and military documents.

The indictment relates to the massive release of top-secret military information by US whistleblower Chelsea Manning in the 2010 Cablegate scandal.

A quarter of a million politically embarrassing and militarily sensitive US diplomatic cables were released on Mr. Assange’s Wikileaks site.

The leak sparked a criminal investigation into Wikileaks and Mr Assange, who were simultaneously accused of sexually assaulting two women in Sweden, which he denied and the charges were later dropped in 2019.

It started a 13-year battle against extradition from the UK, first to Sweden to stand trial on assault charges, but also against his extradition to the US.

Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that Assange must still appear in court to answer the charges against him.

“Mr. Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country,” he said.

But now Ambassador Kennedy has raised hopes for a possible alternative solution after meeting supporters of the Wikileaks founder in June.

“It’s an ongoing case,” she told the The Sydney Morning Herald.

She said any potential plea deal would be “up to the Justice Department.”

But she insisted there was a way to fix it, adding, “You can read the (newspapers) just like me.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will fly to the US in late October to meet with the Biden administration, just as Mr Assange’s legal options in the UK are finally running out.

His supporters have taken Ambassador Kennedy’s comments as a sign that a possible deal is in the works.

“Caroline Kennedy wouldn’t say these things if they didn’t want a way out,” Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton told the SMH.

“The Americans want this off their plates.”

The deal could still require Mr Assange to fly to the US to face trial before being allowed to return to Australia to serve a sentence.

He has been detained in the UK for four years since he was forced to leave the Ecuadorian embassy in 2019, which could also be used as an extenuating circumstance.

His supporters hope he can now get a lower charge in exchange for a guilty plea and that the time he spent in the UK will count towards his sentence.

While legal experts have warned that Assange may still refuse to voluntarily go to the US to face trial, his family warned he could commit suicide instead of traveling there.

“Everything we know about Julian Assange suggests this would be a major sticking point for him,” said Don Rothwell, an international law expert at the Australian National University.

“(But) it is not possible to enter into a plea agreement outside the relevant jurisdiction, except in the most exceptional circumstances.”

Last week, Kevin Rudd, Australia’s ambassador to the US, said the pursuit of Assange had ” gone on too long.”

“As for Minister Blinken’s recent statements, that is to be expected from the administration, which reflects their concern about the history of the case,” he said.

“We in Australia have our own concerns that we continue to reflect on and it is my job as Australia’s lead diplomat to the US to deal effectively, which usually means silently, with the US government to maximize our prospects.

“The prime minister has already made it clear that this has gone on too long. I agree with him.’

Since taking office in 2022, the Albanian government has been calling for an end to the US pursuit of Assange.

The Prime Minister said earlier this month: “We remain very firm in our views and in our protests to the US government and we will continue to do so.

A solution must be found that will bring this matter to a successful conclusion…Mr Assange must of course be part of that.”