Julian Assange’s father calls on Government to help lobby for Wikileaks founder’s release – ABC News

Posted December 13, 2019 06:21:56

The father of imprisoned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange says the fight to free his son will fail unless the Australian Government applies greater diplomatic pressure on Britain ahead of his US extradition hearing next year.

The US Justice Department requested Britain extradite Assange to face espionage charges, following his expulsion from the Ecuadorian embassy in London in April.

But Assange's father, John Shipton, has revealed he has been working with Member for Dawson George Christensen to bring Assange home for more than a year, even drafting a letter "concerning Julian's circumstances" to Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne last November.

The support of Mr Christensen, who this year formed a cross-party Parliamentary Working Group questioning whether Assange should face espionage charges in the US, is "absolutely vital", Mr Shipton said.

"Julian's diplomatic matter will only be solved with Australia's involvement," the 75-year-old said.

"Carrying the force of the Australian public to the court cases will cause the English judiciary to be very careful of their excesses.

"In the case of Julian, he hasn't been treated fairly. There's no due process and no music to face.

"It's an attempt at judicial abduction of an Australian citizen to face espionage charges amounting to death."

Mr Christensen said he and independent MP Andrew Wilkie would travel to London to meet Assange at Belmarsh Prison in February.

"We're paying our own way to go and see him," the Mackay-based MP said.

"As I understand it, his legal team is currently going through formal processes to get us access to him."

"There have been a lot of reports about the state of his health, mental health and the conditions he's suffering at the prison.

"All these things are quite concerning."

Mr Christensen said the charges against Assange relating to the leaking of classified government documents, including footage of a US helicopter attack on unarmed civilians in Baghdad in 2007 are unfair.

"He was a journalist, or publisher, who received information and for receiving that information he has been hauled through the courts to face a potential life sentence and I think that's not on," Mr Christensen said.

Mr Shipton said his son had done nothing wrong.

"It's no different to what The Guardian, The Telegraph, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El Pais, The Herald Sun, The Age and the ABC, for that matter, [have published]," Mr Shipton said.

"Julian published exactly the same things. We can't understand why the focus is on Julian. It's incomprehensible to us.

"There's no such thing as extraterritorial application of your own laws. In the second place, the [US] First Amendment covers their publication.

"If Julian is to be charged with espionage, so should other publishers."

While celebrities and high-profile activists have championed his son's cause, Mr Shipton urged Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill to throw her support behind Assange, who grew up in north Queensland.

"The fate of Julian Assange rests in our hands and the hands of local councils, the State Government, parliamentary groups and political parties," he said.

"The Geneva Council passed a resolution that Julian ought to be offered asylum in Switzerland.

"If it's good enough for Geneva, it's certainly good enough for the town where Julian grew up."

But Ms Hill said the controversial publisher's fate was "part of a bigger debate".

"I don't think us sending a letter will make one iota of difference to the Federal Government," she said.

"But what will make a difference is the media talking about why he should come home.

"If there is a belief that what is happening is unjust then the evidence should be raised by media outlets. It's the responsibility of the whole community, not just one little old council."

Mr Shipton echoed the concerns of more than 60 doctors who wrote an open letter to British Home Secretary Priti Patel, fearing Assange could die in jail.

"Julian is in a dire circumstance," Mr Shipton said.

"He's very thin now. There's the same brilliance but it only lasts a second.

"It is distressing when you see how he's aged, his hair's falling out, he can't concentrate for very long.

"But if I did stop and hid my head under the doona I would feel very ashamed."

Assange's next case-management hearing will be later this month.

Topics:international-law,law-crime-and-justice,crime,world-politics,journalism,cairns-4870,mackay-4740,afghanistan,united-states,united-kingdom

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Julian Assange's father calls on Government to help lobby for Wikileaks founder's release - ABC News