Blinken tells Australia WikiLeaks founder is charged with a ‘very serious’ offence

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday rejected australian demands to end the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying the Australian citizen was charged with “very serious criminal misconduct” for releasing a trove of classified documents more than a decade ago.

Australia’s centre-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning elections last year that the United States should end its persecution of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States. Joined.

Assange’s freedom is widely seen as evidence of Australia’s influence with President Joe Biden’s administration.

Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Assange had been discussed in annual talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane, Australia.

“I understand the concerns and views of Australians. I think it is very important that our friends understand our concerns on this matter,” Blinken told reporters.

“Mr. Assange was charged with very serious criminal misconduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest classified information compromises in the history of our country,” it added.

Wong said that Assange’s prosecution had gone on “too long” and that Australia wanted the charges “to come to a conclusion”.

Australia remains ambiguous on whether the United States should drop the prosecution or reach a plea bargain.

Assange faces 17 counts of espionage and one count of computer misuse for WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010.

US prosecutors allege he helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later released, putting lives in danger.

Australia argues that there is a “disconnect” between the US treatment of Assange and Manning. The then President of the United States, Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed his release in 2017.