'Bring my son home': Dad's plea after Julian Assange arrest
The Australian government should bring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange home, his father says.
John Shipton told News Corp Australia he was shocked by the sight of his son during his arrest earlier this week.
“I saw him, the way they dragged him down the steps, the coppers – he didn’t look good,” he said.
“I’m 74 and I look better than him and he’s 47. It’s such a shock.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Assange’s high profile doesn’t mean he will receive any special consular support or assistance.
But Mr Shipton said DFAT and the prime minister could take subtle action to help.
“It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia,” he added.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said on Saturday his team will speak to Assange’s lawyers about his legal situation within a few weeks.
Mr Shipton’s call comes as protests are planned outside US embassies and consulates in Australia and overseas, demanding that Assange isn’t extradited to the US.
On Thursday, Assange was removed by British police from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had sought asylum seven years ago while on bail and facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges.
A British court on Thursday found Assange guilty of breaching his UK bail. At the same time, it was revealed that US authorities had applied to extradite him.
The US wants him to face a charge of conspiring to commit computer intrusion with former military intelligence analyst and whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
An extradition hearing is scheduled for May 2 in London.
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