Politics

Australia: MPs Press US Envoy to Free Assange

MAY 9 2023·Updated MAY 10 2023

Story

Image credit: Al Arabiya English

The Facts

On Tuesday, a cross-party delegation of Australian lawmakers met with US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy to discuss dropping the pending extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and allowing him to return to Australia.
Al Arabiya English
Assange, an Australian citizen, faces extradition from the UK to the US, where he's wanted on criminal charges over the 2010 release of confidential US military records and diplomatic communications.
MSN
Last month, 48 Australian lawmakers wrote to US attorney general Merrick Garland stating that Assange's extradition bid "set a dangerous precedent" for press freedom as he disclosed "evidence of war crimes, corruption, and human rights abuses" in his capacity as a journalist and publisher.
guardian
Meanwhile, Australian PM Anthony Albanese said on Friday that he was frustrated with Assange's ongoing incarceration, adding, "Enough is enough; this needs to be brought to a conclusion."
Reuters
If extradited to the US, Assange faces up to 175 years in a maximum security prison.
US News & World Report
The meeting comes ahead of US Pres. Joe Biden's scheduled visit to Australia this month for the Quad leaders' summit.
Al Jazeera

Sources Split

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The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Assange is an anti-establishment hero who has been victimized and punished for exposing American war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. His prosecution has been rife with procedural violations, and it criminalizes routine journalistic activity.

Al Jazeera

Pro-establishment narrative

Assange is not the free-speech champion he's often framed as, but rather a criminal whose publication of classified documents put lives at risk. He committed a serious crime and deserves a serious punishment.