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Julian Assange’s father has asked New Zealand to offer his son asylum after a UK judge blocked a US extradition attempt today.
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The WikiLeaks founder faces espionage charges for leaking diplomatic and military documents. Source: BBC
The mixed ruling found that the WikiLeaks founder’s precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of “near total isolation” he would face in a US prison.
Lawyers for the US government said they would appeal the decision, and the US Justice Department said it would continue to seek Assange’s extradition.
Following this development, Assange’s father, John Shipton, added his name to a letter asking New Zealand to offer his son asylum.
The letter, provided exclusively to 1 NEWS, is jointly signed by Greg Barns, Australian Assange Campaign Advisor, and Craig Tuck, a Tauranga attorney who is part of the Assange legal team.
“Julian and his family have connections to New Zealand and New Zealanders; this country is well positioned to lead the defense and be a leader in what will likely be years of litigation,” the letter reads.
“New Zealand should step up where Australia and the UK have failed. Julian needs asylum in New Zealand and he needs it now.”
The letter states that US appeals may mean there will be no actual resolution for up to three years for Assange.
After today’s verdict, Assange’s lawyers said they would call for his release from a London prison where he has been held for more than 18 months at a bail hearing this week.
Assange, who sat quietly in the dock at London’s Central Criminal Court for the ruling, wiped his forehead when the decision was announced. His partner Stella Moris, with whom he has two young children, cried.
Outside of court, Moris said the ruling was “the first step towards justice,” but that it was not yet time to celebrate.
“I was hoping that today would be the day that Julian would come home,” she said. “Today is not that day, but that day will come soon.”
The ruling marked a dramatic moment in Assange’s long legal battles in Britain, though it is probably not his final chapter.
