ISTANBUL 

Australia needs to ensure that the UK justice system allows Julian Assange the opportunity to exercise his appeal rights under the laws of European Court of Justice, said an Australian senator on Thursday. 

"But we have a real fear that if it goes the wrong way for Julian, he could be within hours whisked away in a secret plane to a secret jail," David Shoebridge, Greens senator for New South Wale, said on X after speaking to the media in the capital Canberra.

The UK High Court is set to hear Assange's final appeal against extradition to the US on Feb. 20-21.

Earlier on Wednesday, Australia's House of Representatives passed a motion, 86 to 42, urging the UK and US to "conclude" the Julian Assange case and allow him to return to Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday also threw his weight behind a parliamentary motion, calling for WikiLeaks founder Assange's return, adding pressure on the UK and US ahead of a crucial court hearing next week.

Stressing that it is not Australia's duty to interfere in other countries' legal processes, Albanese emphasized the urgency of finding a "friendly solution and Australia's strong desire for closure in the case," reflecting growing public and political support for Assange's return.

“Regardless of where people stand, this thing cannot just go on and on and on indefinitely,” he said, referring to the protracted legal battle that has kept Assange detained in the UK since 2019.

It remains to be seen how the UK and US will respond to Australia's renewed push for Assange's repatriation, adding another layer of complexity to the already highly charged legal battle.

Assange's legal process began after WikiLeaks released 251,000 classified documents exposing US crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.

Assange faces 18 criminal counts in the US for his alleged role in unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to national defense, including evidence exposing alleged war crimes.