Albanese Albanese ‘encouraged envoy to visit Julian Assange’

Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK has met with Julian Assange, who is appealing extradition to the US.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Picture: AFP

Anthony Albanese said he had encouraged Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith, to visit Julian Assange, who is being held in Belmarsh jail in London fighting extradition to the US.

Mr Smith saw Mr Assange on Tuesday, describing the visit as a consular check on his welfare. However, his visit – the first by an Australian official since 2019 – was significant because Mr Assange has sought to obtain dip­lomatic support from the Aus­tralian government for his case.

Mr Assange, 51, is appealing a British High Court-approved extradition to the US to face 17 espionage charges and one of computer hacking in relation to the release of hundreds of thousands of US documents and ­cables in 2010 and ’11.

Mr Assange has been in Belmarsh for four years, initially to serve a 50-week term for violating bail conditions when he first sought political asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy in 2011.

The UK District Court refused the US extradition bid because of the risk Mr Assange may commit suicide. However, the British High Court ruled that should be extradited on the basis of US government assurances that if convicted in the US, Mr Assange could serve any sentence in Australia.

The Prime Minister said on Wednesday: “I have said publicly that I have raised these issues at an appropriate level, of Julian Assange. I have made it clear the Australian government’s position, which is: enough is enough. There’s nothing to be served from ongoing issues being continued. And I said that in opposition. My position hasn’t changed as the Prime Minister, and I’ve indicated that.”

It comes as congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is seeking support to petition US Attorney-General Merrick Garland to drop the charges against Mr Assange.

“I know many of us have very strong feelings about Mr Assange, but what we think of him and his actions is really besides the point here,” her petition says. “The fact is … Mr Assange is being prosecuted under the notoriously undemocratic Espionage Act (which) ­seriously un­dermines freedom of the press and the First Amendment.”