A year since Julian Assange's father last saw his son in London's maximum-security Belmarsh prison, he is bringing his fight for the WikiLeaks founder's freedom to the Parliament House forecourt.
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John Shipton, 77, said his trip to the national capital and appearance at Parliament House on Monday would be the last leg of the current "Home Run for Julian Assange" tour.
He and his convoy have been travelling around NSW and Victoria since February 27; some of them riding in a WikiLeaks-branded minibus.
The convoy's aim on the tour has been to spread the word about the huge amount of support for Assange's release from prison, and for his eventual return to Australia.
Mr Shipton said: "The support is Western world-wide in parliamentarians [and in] every journalists' association in the Western world.
"Canberra is the centre of government in Australia and we bring to the government the gift of understanding the phenomenon of the upwelling of support."
Mr Shipton, who lives in country Victoria, said the support for his son's release had become so powerful the Australian government had to take action.
"[It] can no longer use state to state arrangements to excuse itself from diplomat action to bring Julian home," he said.
In January this year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Assange would be free to return to Australia if the United States' request to extradite him was ultimately blocked.
The US intends for Assange to stand trial on espionage and hacking charges over WikiLeaks' publication of a trove of classified material in 2010 relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A UK judge did block the US' request for Assange's extradition, and cited concerns about his deteriorating mental health and risk of suicide if he were to stand trial.
But US authorities are appealing against that decision.
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In the meantime, Assange has been refused bail for fear he's a flight risk. He continues to be held in London's Belmarsh prison.
Mr Shipton said it had been a year since he'd seen his son at the maximum-security facility, which had been rocked by an "infestation" of COVID-19.
"It gets a bit hard but I don't think about it," Mr Shipton said.
"I just do my best my best in awakening the Australian government to its responsibility towards a citizen who has had 11 years of judicial persecution."
Mr Shipton described Assange as a child of Australian society who had "launched a new idea upon the world and brought the revelations of many helpful things to people in general".
He and his convoy were hosting a meeting about Assange at the Australian National University on Sunday night, but the big-ticket item was the appearance at Parliament House on Monday.
Mr Shipton would be speaking at the forecourt, as would independent MP Andrew Wilkie, senator Peter Whish-Wilson, former ACT attorney-general Bernard Collaery, and Defence whistleblower David McBride.
Mr Collaery, who is currently fighting five charges alleging he shared secret government information, would also attend the university event.
The Parliament House event was set to start at 9.30am on Monday.
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Cassandra Morgan
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
