Media release – Andrew Wilkie, independent Member for Clark, 18 June 2022
NEW AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ABANDONS JULIAN ASSANGE
“The decision by the UK Government overnight to approve the extradition of Julian Assange to the US, to face trumped up espionage and other charges, is an outrageous betrayal of the rule of law, media freedom and human rights,” Mr Wilkie said.
“This matter is so deeply wrong on so many levels. Mr Assange is a Walkley Award winning Australian journalist who revealed hard evidence of US war crimes and other misconduct. This outraged Washington and the Americans are desperate to get even, with the UK and Australian governments tripping over themselves in the rush to please the US and go along for the ride.
“Good grief the US doesn’t even have global legal extraterritoriality, and nor does the UK/US extradition agreement include the charges levelled at Mr Assange.
“Like many Australians I’ve given the new Federal Government plenty of time to sort this matter out. Well times up for the new Federal Government hinting at caring and then doing nothing. The new Australian Government is now to be condemned for abandoning an Australian hero journalist facing the very real prospect of spending the rest of his life rotting in a US prison.”
Media release – Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, 17 June 2022
Assange extradition a dangerous assault on international journalism
The UK Government’s decision to uphold the application by the US Department of Justice to extradite Australian publisher Julian Assange imperils journalists everywhere, says the union for Australia’s journalists.
The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance calls on the Australian Government to take urgent steps to lobby the US and UK Governments to drop all charges against Assange and to allow him to be with his wife and children.
Assange, a MEAA member since 2007, may only have a slim chance of challenging extradition to face espionage charges for releasing US government records that revealed the US military committed war crimes against civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq, including the killing of two Reuters journalists.
If found guilty, Assange faces a jail term of up to 175 years.
MEAA Media section Federal President Karen Percy said: “We urge the new Australian government act on Julian Assange’s behalf and lobby for his release.
“The actions of the US are a warning sign to journalists and whistleblowers everywhere and undermine the importance of uncovering wrongdoing,” Ms Percy said.
“Our thoughts are with Julian and his family at this difficult time,” Ms Percy said.
In 2011 WikiLeaks was awarded the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism in recognition of the impact WikiLeaks’ actions had on public interest journalism by assisting whistleblowers to tell their stories.
At the time the Walkley judges said WikiLeaks applied new technology to “penetrate the inner workings of government to reveal an avalanche of inconvenient truths in a global publishing coup”.
This type of publishing partnership has been repeated by other media outlets since, utilising whistleblowers’ leaks to expose global tax avoidance schemes, among other stories. In the WikiLeaks example, only Assange has been charged.
None of WikiLeaks media partners have been cited in any US government legal actions because of their collaboration with Assange.
Media release – Alliance Against Political Prosecutions, 17 June 2022
Prime Minister must increase efforts to gain Julian Assange’s freedom
“The Alliance Against Political Prosecutions condemns the ongoing politically motivated legal actions preventing the freedom of Australian journalist, Julian Assange. These actions constitute torture, as it has been called by the UN special rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Prof Nils Melzer, and should be condemned as such,” said Kathryn Kelly, co-convenor of the Alliance.
“This action in the UK courts on behalf of the US Government with Julian in Belmarsh Prison for three years, and on top of the seven years detention in the Ecuadorian Embassy, means he has not seen freedom for 10 years. This is a sentence longer than those of many violent criminals – and Julian has committed no crime. Julian’s health is seriously deteriorating and the mini stroke he suffered last year has not been investigated.”
“These proceedings against Julian Assange are fundamentally an attempt to intimidate journalists everywhere. They are a travesty of justice and must be ended”, Ms Kelly said.
“Prime Minister Albanese has said of the actions against Assange, that “Enough is enough” and that “I can’t see what is served by keeping him incarcerated”. The Prime Minister must redouble his efforts with the UK and US Governments to gain his freedom.”
