A report from Julian’s brother, Gabriel Shipton
Our team are still in the Royal Courts, but I wanted to write to you urgently with breaking news about the case. The UK High Court has delayed the extradition of Julian for at least another three weeks, asking the United States to give assurances that he will be protected by the First Amendment free speech rights will be protected, that he won’t be discriminated against as an Australian and that he will not face the death penalty.
A summary of the judgment said, “If those assurances are not given [by the United States], leave to appeal will be given [to Julian], and there will then be an appeal hearing.”
This morning, I was hoping Julian would be granted leave to appeal. At worst, I feared he would be extradited before tomorrow morning. Instead, his purgatory continues — but that also means we have another window to increase the pressure on the people who can take decisive action to make a real difference. Right now, that is the Australian Government.
We need to ensure every MP in the country knows just how many people in their electorate care about Julian. Will you contact your MP today?
Today’s decision has just happened and it is a big one. Our legal team are still yet to leave the courthouse, and this decision wasn’t what we had hoped for. Over the coming weeks, I will be heading back to Washington to continue building support for Julian at the place where these decisions are made. I’ll write to you in the coming days to update you on this, but in the meantime — if you don’t have the time or the ability to contact your MP, can you chip in to support our legal work over the coming weeks?
Julian lives to fight another day, and so too, does our campaign to save him. Together, we have the strength to navigate the challenges that lie ahead on this journey. I know that when we stand united, we will emerge victorious on the other side.
Thank you for your support, as always,
Gabriel Shipton,
Julian Assange’s Brother
PS If you haven’t already, please send this link to three people you know and ask them to write to the US Ambassador to Australia to firmly and directly ask for his return: https://www.action.assangecampaign.org.au/