‘He did the right thing’: Assange’s father ready for reunion

2 days ago 4

No substance what a United States tribunal says astir Julian Assange, 1 antheral wants each Australians to cognize the Wikileaks laminitis should beryllium declared not blameworthy erstwhile helium returns home.

Assange’s father, John Shipton, arrived successful Canberra connected Tuesday nighttime successful the anticipation helium could clasp his lad connected Australian ungraded for the archetypal clip successful 15 years.

John Shipton has flown to Canberra to greet his lad Julian Assange erstwhile helium arrives Wednesday night.

“He stood his ground, helium did the close thing,” Shipton says of the arguable enactment by Wikileaks to uncover alleged warfare crimes, diplomatic cables and different secrets others wanted to hide.

“He stood successful the icy, acold upwind of information and remained upright – helium remained upright for 15 years. You’ve got to springiness a batch of recognition to that man,” helium says.

“And the smears, the lies, the calumnies, the double-dealing and the effort by definite members of the bequest property to ascent up connected his corpse, oregon astatine slightest effort to, that was off-putting. But I don’t care. The combat was to bring him location to Australia.

“I believed successful my bosom that Australians would respond to the telephone for righting an injustice and seeing a consciousness of justness being done. And I was not incorrect successful that.”

Shipton past saw his lad successful Australia astir 15 years ago, earlier Swedish authorities issued an apprehension warrant implicit intersexual battle allegations, the archetypal ineligible measurement successful what became a agelong effort by US authorities to extradite him to an American tribunal to look espionage charges.

“Julian has been fitted up,” helium says. Shipton ne'er believed the claims against his lad and praises ineligible experts who, helium says, picked isolated the intersexual battle accusations. (One of them, Nils Melzer, was the United Nations Special Rapporteur connected Torture for six years.)

Shipton believes Assange was and is simply a writer who revealed quality others wanted to support secret, and says helium is conscionable arsenic profoundly Australian arsenic different expatriate journalists similar John Pilger oregon Philip Knightley.

While helium did not get progressive successful the ceremonial negotiations implicit a plea deal, Shipton spent years campaigning for Assange connected 7 trips astir Australia. He recalls the welcomes helium received successful places similar Castlemaine successful Victoria and Wagga Wagga successful NSW.

He praises Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and others, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the 2 cardinal diplomats involved, Kevin Rudd successful the US and Stephen Smith successful the UK, but helium emphasises the cross-party enactment successful national parliament from Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals, the Greens and independents.

He names members of parliament ranging from Tasmanian autarkic Andrew Wilkie to Greens legislator Peter Whish-Wilson, erstwhile Nationals resources curate Matt Canavan and erstwhile Nationals person Barnaby Joyce.

“If you privation to bash something, here’s the lesson: marque it cross-party,” helium says.

“That’s the lesson, due to the fact that they’re each Australians, these people, and they privation to beforehand Australia. So marque umbrella ideas the nationalist tin enactment and some sides of parliament tin weld themselves around.”

Shipton saw Assange successful Belmarsh situation successful the UK erstwhile helium could, astir precocious past month, but inactive sounds stunned that helium tin spot his lad successful Australia erstwhile more.

“I deliberation it’s staggering. Can judge that the entirety of the institutions of the United States, the Pentagon, the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Justice, the Department of State, each lined up against Julian Assange,” helium says.

“And the Australian authorities managed to unpick that Gordian knot and let him to return. It’s conscionable astonishing.”

There are challenges up for Assange. His wife, Stella, says the household is broke and volition person to commencement a fund-raising run to find astir $750,000 to screen their costs, including the charter formation to bring him home.

Shipton says his lad volition astatine slightest beryllium capable to perceive the telephone of a magpie successful the greeting and spot and odor the Australian bush.

“He’s got present conscionable successful clip to spot the wattle bloom.”

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