Australian PM Insists He’s Standing ‘Firm’ Against the US on Julian Assange

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday insisted that his government was taking a “firm” stand against the US persecution of WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange.

During a recent visit to Australia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected concerns raised by his Australian counterpart about Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison for exposing US war crimes if extradited to the US.

Albanese told reporters on Tuesday that the US case against Julian Assange “has gone on for too long. Enough is enough.” He said Blinken’s public comments about Assange echo what US officials have said privately about the WikiLeaks founder. “We remain very firm in our view and our representations to the American government and we will continue to do so,” Albanese added.