18 January 2023•Update: 19 January 2023
ANKARA
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday urged the US and UK to close the extradition process against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, saying "enough is enough."
During an interview with ABC Radio, the Australian premier said his country's position on Assange is very clear, which he has communicated to the US and UK.
"I agree that enough is enough. It's time this issue was brought to a close," Albanese said, according to a transcript posted on his office’s official website.
"And I've made that very clear to the US administration and to the UK Government as well, that my view hasn't changed from the view I had when I was Opposition Leader, which is that it's time that this was brought to a close," he added.
Albanese said his government is dealing with the matter diplomatically and that Canberra has made its position clear to its friends.
Assange, an Australian citizen, is being held in the UK, where authorities authorized his extradition to the US last year, where he is wanted for his alleged role in espionage and the dissemination of classified US military information.
The US Justice Department labeled Assange’s actions as part of the “largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.”
In November of last year, major global media outlets joined forces to call on the US to drop charges against the founder of Wikileaks and to halt his prosecution in order to protect journalism.
* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
