Australian PM refuses to demand US drop prosecution of Julian Assange

The Australian government has been under mounting pressure to intervene since the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the US was approved by Britain last week

Anthony Albanese, who came to power after elections a month ago, declined to say whether he had spoken to US President Joe Biden about the case

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A protester holds up a placard demonstrating against Julian Assange’s extradition to the US in central London on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:07am, 20 Jun 2022Updated: 2:56pm, 20 Jun 2022

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday rejected calls for him to publicly demand the United States drop its prosecution of WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange.

The Australian government has been under mounting pressure to intervene since the British government last week approved Assange’s extradition to the US on spying charges. Assange’s supporters and lawyers say his actions were protected by the US Constitution.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday rejected calls for him to publicly demand the US drop the case. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP/dpa

Albanese, who came to power after elections a month ago, declined to say whether he had spoken to US President Joe Biden about the case.

“There are some people who think that if you put things in capital letters on Twitter and put an exclamation mark, that somehow makes it more important. It doesn’t,” Albanese told reporters.

“I intend to lead a government that engages diplomatically and appropriately with our partners,” Albanese added.

Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus and Foreign Minister Penny Wong responded to the British government’s decision by saying Assange’s “case has dragged on for too long and … should be brought to a close”.