Barnaby Joyce and Monique Ryan may not have much in common — but at the end of September they’ll be checking in at the same hotel in Washington DC for a trip to lobby US politicians on behalf of Julian Assange.
Crikey has confirmed that most of the motley crew of Australian politicians that will be travelling to the US capital will be flying there together, and that they’ll all stay at the same hotel.
The trip is being paid for by the Assange campaign and five out of six Aussies will fly together from Sydney. The sixth one — and it’s not immediately clear who — will be flying from Melbourne.
“Hopefully they’ll all be friends by the time they get there,” Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton told Crikey.
Joyce, the former Nationals leader, and Ryan, an independent MP, will be joined by Liberal Senator Alex Antic, Labor MP Tony Zappia, and Greens senators David Shoebridge and Peter Whish-Wilson.
Shipton said it was too early to reveal which US politicians would be meeting with the Aussies during the September 20-21 trip, but said the campaign is seeking to line up talks with US senators and representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties.
“The aim of the delegation is to secure the release of Julian Assange, and I think how they go about that is taking the concern of the Australian people to Washington,” he said.
“Speaking to the State Department, speaking to the Department of Justice, congresspeople and senators, communicating to them that this vengeful prosecution — or persecution — of Julian isn’t doing them any favours abroad. Particularly in Australia which is one of their closest allies.”
The visit will happen in the weeks before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s first prime ministerial trip to Washington, scheduled for the end of October.
Assange, who founded the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, is being held in London’s Belmarsh prison and risks being extradited to the US, where he’s facing 18 counts, including a spying allegation.
The US says the Australian endangered lives when WikiLeaks published leaked documents in 2010 and 2011 related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Assange’s supporters say the publications were legitimate works of journalism and that Assange shouldn’t be punished for them.
The 52-year-old has spent more than a decade indoors, including more than four years in Belmarsh. He was detained by UK police in 2019 after having spent the previous seven years inside an Ecuadorian embassy apartment in London.
Which member of this unlikely alliance is likely to best serve Assange’s case? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
