Anthony Albanese ‘encouraged’ Julian Assange will be released

Anthony Albanese says he is ‘increasingly optimistic’ that the US will drop the prosecution against Julian Assange.

Julian Assange. Picture: Getty Images

Anthony Albanese is “increas­ingly optimistic” that the US will drop its case against ­Julian ­Assange, vowing to continue lobbying efforts after US President Joe Biden gave the strongest indication yet that the WikiLeaks founder could be released.

The Prime Minister said Mr Biden’s remark that he was “considering” abandoning the case against Assange was “certainly encouraging”, declaring there was nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.

Assange has been in a protracted legal fight against attempts to extradite him to the US to face espionage charges after he published troves of classified documents; he has notched up five years in Britain’s high-security Belmarsh prison.

“I’m increasingly optimistic about an outcome, but one certainly has not been delivered yet,” Mr Albanese told Sky News.

“We’ll continue to argue the case at every opportunity that we have, through every forum that we have and through every level of personnel that we have as well.

“Whether that be political, whether it be diplomatic.

“We’ve worked and engaged very closely with Julian Assange’s legal team over a long period of time, and this is something I spoke about in opposition. I said, enough was enough.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said news that the saga was coming to an end would be welcomed, noting that former American soldier Chelsea Manning, who leaked classified information to WikiLeaks, had her sentence commuted.

“The US deciding to take action is a matter for the US, but it’s always good to know that the US listens to Australia,” he said. “It is a close partnership, and we want to see that type of engagement in all different spheres and that of course, includes in difficult consular matters.”

Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton called on the Albanese government to double down on its lobbying efforts with the US to secure the WikiLeaks founder’s freedom. “My brother still remains imprisoned in very harsh conditions with rapidly deteriorating physical and mental health,” he said. “This has gone on long enough.

“Anthony Albanese needs to act now and with urgency to stop this extradition from occurring, by reaching a diplomatic solution whereby Julian can return home to Australia as soon as possible.”

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who has been a vocal ­advocate for Assange, said Mr Biden’s comments were encouraging, calling on the US to demonstrate the “strong bilateral relationship with Australia” and drop the charges.

“Mr Assange is an award-­winning Australian journalist who is being punished and pursued by the US for simply doing his job and telling the truth,” he said.

“The man should be lauded as a hero, not left rotting in a cell.”

Labor MP Josh Wilson said Assange had effectively been detained for a decade, warning of the dangers of allowing journalists and whistleblowers to be prosecuted for revealing the truth.

“I think the thing Australians understand is: why should an Australian citizen, who didn’t undertake any conduct in the territorial US, be held responsible for things America might regard as being secret, that they weren’t able to keep under their own control,” he told 6PR radio.