Caroline Kennedy sees possibility of ‘resolution’ in Assange case

U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy said there “could be a resolution” in the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who was arrested in 2019 over his publishing of classified materials and has since fought in British court to avoid being extradited to the U.S. 

Assange, an Australian citizen, was arrested by British authorities on behalf of the U.S. in 2019 and expelled from the Ecuadorian Embassy after almost seven years in asylum there. Since then, he has spent the past four years in a London prison fighting against extradition. 

Asked by the Sydney Morning Herald if the U.S. and Australia could reach a diplomatic outcome with regards to Assange’s extradition, Kennedy said it was an “ongoing case,” being handled by the Department of Justice.

“So it’s not really a diplomatic issue, but I think there absolutely could be a resolution,” Kennedy said. 

Assange faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. American prosecutors allege he conspired to hack a government computer in connection with WikiLeaks’s publishing of sensitive government files in 2010. With the help of former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, Assange allegedly obtained and published Afghanistan and Iraq war logs as well as secret diplomatic cables. 

During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Australia earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who will be visiting the U.S. in October, said his government stands firm against the U.S. prosecution of Assange. Blinken rebuked that position, noting Assange is accused of “very serious criminal conduct.”

Kennedy reportedly pointed to Blinken’s comments and said, “But there is a way to resolve it,” adding, “You can read the [newspapers] just like I can.”

The Morning Herald asked the ambassador whether U.S. authorities could come to a plea deal agreement with Assange, and she repeated that the case is “up to the Justice Department.” 

Earlier this year, a group of Democrats sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on him to drop the case against Assange, arguing that the charges “pose a grave and unprecedented threat” to journalism practices and the First Amendment. The lawmakers referenced a separate letter from a group of news organizations published last year that also called for the dismissal of Assange’s charges.

The Associated Press contributed.