Greens MPs have used the Federal Parliament to demand justice for Julian Assange, as his extradition hearing begins in London.
In the House of Representatives today, Greens Leader Adam Bandt has called for Mr Assange to be brought back to Australia, while in the Senate, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson today questioned the government and yesterday moved a motion urging the Parliament not to be silent on the criminalisation of journalistic activity.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:
“The government needs to intervene to bring Julian Assange back to Australia.
“The criminalisation of journalism must end. If this government wants to show its commitment to protecting press freedoms and protecting democracy, it needs to bring Julian Assange home and protect him from extradition to the United States.
“It is a terrifying precedent that foreign nations could extradite and charge journalists who have exposed their wrongdoings. It’s time for the Foreign Minister to intervene.
Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said:
“The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, yesterday labelled the treatment of Julian Assange a ‘modern showtrial’ because they want to make an example of him.
“The case of Julian Assange extends far beyond the case of one person on trial – it gets to the heart of how we uphold the tenets of democracy, human rights and press freedom.
“We must not let this debate devolve into one about the character of Julian Assange – he is an Australian citizen, a journalist, and urgently requires Government intervention.”
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