In Australia, family members and supporters of Julian Assange rallied in Sydney as they say momentum to free the jailed WikiLeaks founder is at its peak.
One supporter and organizer of protests in Sydney said: “It’s about Julian Assange, of course, but it’s also about press freedom, all our freedoms, and the fact that he exposed a crime that I was horrified about, and he’s the one in trouble. He’s the one imprisoned, and yet he exposed a crime, a war crime, which no one has done anything about.”
The protest action in Sydney was supposed to coincide with a visit from President Biden for a Quad alliance meeting with leaders from India, Japan and Australia, but Biden canceled his trip amid ongoing negotiations over the debt ceiling.
Stella Assange called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to do more to secure the release of her husband, an Australian national, as his health rapidly deteriorates inside London’s Belmarsh prison, where he awaits possible extradition to the U.S. to face espionage and hacking charges.
Albanese has said he is doing everything he can, while a group of Australian lawmakers recently met with U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy to push for Assange’s release.
