Freedom of the press should be a core value in a democracy, but for years an Australian journalist languished in a UK prison following US espionage charges.
It’s not a crime to tell the truth!
The history:
Julian Assange was arrested in 2019 for his role in releasing documents in the public interest about Australia and the United States' involvement in wars across the Middle East.
After this time he was held in Belmarsh Prison in the UK where there were serious concerns about inhumane and cruel conditions.
On June 26th, 2024, Julian agreed to plead guilty to one of the offences he was charged with and he was released with time served. He was then able to return home to his family in Australia.
We have deep concerns that this could happen again. While the Albanese Government engaged in diplomacy to return Julian home, it is clear neither major party is prepared to jeopardise the “special relationship” Australia has with the United States.
This leaves our citizens and those of the world at ongoing risk of US overreach.
We need a Government prepared to exert clear political pressure against the US to protect Australian journalists and whistleblowers. The laws in Australia also don’t adequately protect whistleblowers and must urgently be reformed.
It’s time for the Australian Government to learn from what happened to Julian and fix the whistleblower laws in this country.
Julian is free, but justice still hasn't been done. His conviction is a dangerous precedent that threatens press freedom globally and risks the safety of journalists who expose government wrongdoing. It's why we back the call for the US Government to officially pardon him.