Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared that “there is nothing to be served” by keeping WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange behind bars. He claimed he is working behind the scenes with Washington to find a solution to the case, but described the process as “frustrating.”
“This needs to be brought to a conclusion,” Albanese told Australia’s ABC broadcaster from London on Thursday. “It needs to be worked though. We’re working through diplomatic channels, we’re making very clear what our position is on Mr. Assange’s case.”
Assange, an Australian citizen, was arrested in London in 2019 after Ecuador revoked his asylum status and allowed police officers to remove him from the country’s embassy in the British capital. He is currently held in Belmarsh Prison, where his legal team is fighting against his extradition to the US. American authorities have hit Assange with 17 charges under the Espionage Act, which can potentially carry the death penalty.