Julian Assange’s father says he should be allowed to go back to Australia
'It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all,' says John Shipton
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Julian Assange's father has called for the Wikileaks founder to be allowed to return to his home country of Australia.
John Shipton, who lives in Melbourne, urged his prime minister, Scott Morrison, to help bring his son back from the UK.
Assange remains in custody following his arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday.
The 47-year-old not only faces up to a year in prison for breaching his bail terms in the UK, but also a potential trial in the US for obtaining classified information from former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
However Mr Shipton told News Corp Australia that Mr Morrison and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) “should in a nuanced way do something”.
“It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all,” he said. ”There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia.”
The Australian prime minister has previously said Assange will have consular assistance available to him but will not get “special treatment”.
Mr Shipton also expressed shock at the appearance of his son in footage of his arrest.
“I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers – he didn’t look good,” he added.
“I’m 74 and I look better than him and he’s 47. It’s such a shock.”
Assange may also face a competing extradition request from Sweden over rape allegations which date back to 2010. That investigation was dropped in 2017 because the Wikileaks founder was still holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy.
More than 70 British MPs have signed a letter urging the home secretary Sajid Javid to ensure Assange faces Swedish authorities if they request his extradition.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has said Assange should not be extradited to the US, told Sky News: “If there are allegations which Julian Assange needs to answer of sexual issues, sexual attacks that may or may not have taken place in Sweden, then it’s a matter for the courts to decide.
“But, I do think he should answer those questions. My objection was to his extradition to the United States because I do believe that WikiLeaks told us the truth about what was actually happening in Afghanistan and in Iraq.”
The Swedish rape allegation has a limitation period which expires in August 2020 and prosecutors in Sweden have confirmed that they are looking into the case.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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