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Update, 5pm Thu 24/11/22: Except for an automatically-generated response from Helen Haines MP, I have received no response from any one of the 11 representatives I emailed very early this morning. Later today, I will, likewise, email another 22. I am writing to each one of you in the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Support Group to ask you to try, as hard as you are able, to use your voice and your vote to support Julian Assange in Parliament during this current sitting which ends, in the Senate, next Friday 2 December and, in the House, next Thursday 1 December. |  |
The fact that the Parliament of the country of which Julian Assange is a citizen, refuses even to allow discussion of his monstrous treatment at the hands of the UK and US governments, I consider outrageous. I believe that, if this was more widely understood, a great many more, both here and overseas, would feel as I do.
Parliament, so far, sat for 3 of the 5 sitting days for this week and, even though there are 39 members of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Support Group, [1] nothing has been said of Julian Assange's plight, so far in this sitting. In the 35 days in which the House of Representatives has sat so far this year and in the 26 sittings of the Senate, the plight of Julian Assange has been raised on only 8 occasions by my count. In the online version of this Open Letter I have included details of this in Appendix 1.
Whilst I understand how the current Government and the current Opposition, have both abused parliamentary rules to stifle discussion, since at least as far back as 16 June 2021, when Julian Hill attempted unsuccessfully to put a Private member's motion in support of Julian Assange, I still think it is incumbent upon all members of your Julian Assange Parliamentary Support Group to try as hard as you are able to make the Government use the power vested in it to free Julian Assange or, failing that, hold to account this Government for its failure to do so.
Independent Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie tried to do this, on 2 December 2021, almost 12 months ago, when he tried, unsuccessfully, to move the following motion:
That the House:
1) notes that:
(a) Walkley Award winning Australian journalist, Mr Julian Assange, remains incarcerated in HMP Belmarsh in the United Kingdom, despite a British Court earlier this year finding that Mr Assange could not be extradited to the United States of America for health reasons;
(b) the US continues to pursue Mr Assange and has recently been back in court in the UK appealing the earlier decision to refuse the extradition;
(c) the reason for the US's determination to extradite Mr Assange is limited to Wikileaks' exposes in 2010 and 2011 of US war crimes and other misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Guantanamo Bay, including the release of the 'Collateral Murder' video in which a US helicopter in Iraq gunned down innocent civilians including journalists;
(d) recent revelations in the media show the Central Intelligence Agency developed plans to abduct and assassinate Mr Assange; and
(e) the continuing incarceration of Mr Assange, and any extradition to the US, would not only be a grave injustice but a severe threat to his health and life; and
(2) calls on the Prime Minister to:
(a) speak directly with his counterparts in the US and UK to bring an end to this madness, including the US dropping all charges against Mr Assange and the UK allowing his immediate release; and
(b) commit to not allow the extradition of Mr Assange to the US from Australia.
In the Online version of this Open Letter I have included, as Appendix 2 , the Hansard record of the exchange which occurred as a consequence of Wilkie's efforts, and my own comments. Because a division was, unfortunately, not been called for, we do not know the names of the members who voted against the above motion being put. The Hansard record shows that not one of those who voted against even allowing Andrew Wilkie to put his motion, paid to him or to the broader Australian community, the courtesy of explaining why they opposed Wilkie's motion being put. I consider that behaviour to be unacceptable.
I am asking each one of you in the Julian Assange Parliamentary Support Group on some occasion, before the current sittings of the House of Representatives and of the Senate end at the end of next week, to again move the procedural motion necessary to have Wilkie's motion, or a more up-to-date adaptation of that motion, put to the House and to the Senate. Should the procedural motion again be defeated, at least, this time, insist on a division so that at least Australian electors can know the names of those who will have voted to gag discussion on Julian Assange.
I also think that, even if you are again unable to even have the motion put, it would still greatly lift the profile of the campaign to free Julian Assange and greatly help those of us in the community who are campaigning for Julian including those who, as I do, attend the weekly Friday Night vigil for Julian Assange outside of Melbourne's Flinders Street Station.
Yous faithfully,
James Sinnamon
Appendix 1 - Other mentions in Parliament of Julian Assange since 2 December 2021
Below are other attempts made by members of the Julian Assange Parliamentary Support Group to discuss Julian Assange. In all I counted only 8 occasions when this occurred. In this time, the House met on a total of 35 times so far this year, whilst the Senate has sat 26 times.
Thursday, 10 February 2022 - by Labor MP Tony Zappia during the "Statements by Members" session in the House of Representatives
Mr Tony ZAPPIA (Makin) (13:35): Julian Assange has now spent over a thousand days in England's maximum-security Belmarsh prison whilst the US attempts to extradite him to face 18 charges which carry a possible 175-year prison sentence. He has not been a free man for over a decade and his health is fragile. His alleged crime is that he published classified US military documents which exposed US war atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan. In December the UK high court ruled that Assange could be extradited. Assange is now appealing to Britain's Supreme Court. Assange is an Australian citizen. His alleged offences did not take place in the US, nor were they illegal in Britain or Australia. Support for his release continues to grow with national identity Dick Smith, medical professionals, right- and left-leaning media commentators, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and former Integrity Commissioner Michael Griffin, who was himself a former military man and Director of Military Prosecutions, all adding their voices. However, we hear nothing from the Prime Minister.
Assange is being persecuted because he humiliated the US, and the US now wants retribution. Even people who were critical of Assange's actions say he has suffered enough. I urge the Prime Minister to follow the lead of Prime Minister John Howard in the David Hicks case and negotiate Assange's release.
There was no response to Tony Zappia's statement by any Minister or by any other member of the Government. There was no response from other members of the Labor Opposition either, but, at that point in time, because of Anthony Albanese's stated concern for Julian Assange in December 2021, the Labor Party was nominally in support of Julian Assange.
Thursday, 29 March 2022 - two brief mentions of Julian Assange in the Senate
There were two mentions of Julian Assange on that day. the first was by Greens Senator Whish-Wilson:
Senator Peter WHISH-WILSON (Tasmania) (15:43): by leave - I withdraw the motion under my name and the name of Senator Rice with reference to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee and Mr Julian Assange.
At this point in time, the meaning of this is unclear to me.
The second mention was by Senator Susan Rice in a statement almost two pages long in which she discussed critically Russia's military intervention in Ukraine and a number of other current global conflicts.:
Senator Janet RICE (Tasmania) (15:43): … And then there are the human rights violations committed by our ally the US, over many years - the invasion of Iraq, the imprisonment of Julian Assange or the horrific border policies of the Trump administration - but, throughout, the Australian government has remained silent. We need an independent foreign policy, not an unthinking alignment with the US.
Thursday, 31 March 2022 - Julian Assange twice mentioned in the House of Representatives
The now retired MP George Christensen mentioned that he had visited Julian Assange in Belmarsh Prison in early 2020 and said that "We should pull out all stops to bring home Australians who are political prisoners, like Julian Assange and Cheng Lei." (Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist, who had been imprisoned by the Chinese government on charges of spying, was (coincidentally?) #Detention">freed on that same day, 31 March 2022).
In the "Responses to Petitions" section, a petition "petition requesting support for Julian Assange" was received. Then Foreign Minister Maurice Payne's response to the petition was:
Dear Chair
Thank you for your letter regarding petition EN3512 on Mr Julian Assange.
Australia will continue to respect the UK legal process, including any further appeals under UK law. It is for Mr Assange to decide how to respond to the recent High Court decision. Australia is not a party to the case.
We are monitoring Mr Assange's case closely, as we do for other Australians detained and subject to court proceedings overseas. We continue to offer Mr Assange consular assistance, and to seek his consent to discuss his health situation with prison officials. Mr Assange has not responded to our offers.
I have raised the situation of Mr Assange with US and UK counterparts, including to state the Australian Government's expectations that Mr Assange will be afforded due process, humane and fair treatment, access to proper medical and other care, and access to his legal team.
The Australian Government will continue to convey these expectations. I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne
Evidently, having a person who had committed no crime being locked up, by then, for almost two years and 11 months for 23 hours per day in solitary confinement, met Maurice Payne's expectations that Julian Assange was "afforded due process, humane and fair treatment, ..." There was no challenge to this.
Monday, 1 August 2022 - one mention of Julian Assange in the House of Representatives
In a speech that was two-and-a-half pages long Labor MP Tony Zappia said:
I also said a moment ago that I will speak briefly about Julian Assange. I have spoken about Julian Assange in this place on other occasions. As the Prime Minister has said, enough is enough. Julian Assange has been detained for long enough. Given that is the case, I will continue to urge for his release and I will continue to advocate for his release. I acknowledge that the Prime Minister has quite rightly said that this is not a matter that he will use a loudspeaker to talk about, but it is a matter that I believe should come to an end and should come to an end quickly rather than being dragged out even longer. It's something that I believe that the Australian people would expect and it is certainly something that I will be continuing to call for.
There was no response to Tony Zappia. Contrary to the views expressed by Anthony Albanese and here, by Tony Zappia, nearly all of those fighting for Julian Assange's release would consider the use of loudspeakers highly appropriate, particularly in contrast to the almost deafening silence on Julian Assange from our Parliament.
Wednesday, 3 August 2022 - mention of Julian Assange in a speech also concerning Shark Mitigation by Greens Senator Whish-Wilson
Senator Peter WHISH-WILSON …I would also like today to give a shout-out to the now over 1,000 parliamentarians around the world who have started to take action to free Walkley Award winning journalist Julian Assange. It is a national disgrace and shame that this parliament and this last government have done nothing to intervene actively to free Julian Assange and bring him back to Australia. Let me tell you: there is momentum building all around the world now. This issue is only going to get bigger. The Albanese government have made the right noises, but now is the time to explain to the Australian people what you're doing and to step up and make sure this Australian hero is freed from the UK hellhole - (Time expired)
There was no response from Prime Minister Albanese nor from any other member of the government.
Monday 5 November - mention of Julian Assange by Greens Senator Larissa Waters
In a long speech concerning Afghanistan, in which she was highly critical of the Taliban regime Afghanistan, but, curiously, Waters ignored the evidence of war crimes committed in Afghanistan by Australian soldiers there and how the memebr of the Australian defence forces, who blew the whistle on thei murder of civilians is facing prosecution and prison.
Monday, 7 November 2022 - Petition to the House of Representatives
From 49 petitioners - requesting the Australian government insist on the return of Julian Assange to Australia (EN4310)I
Appendix 2 - Wilkie's unsuccessful attempt, on 2 Dec 2021, to put a motion in support of Assange to the Lower House in Hansard
Almost 12 months ago, independent Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie, tried to do move a motion which called upon the Australian government to act to end the illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange, The Hansard record, with some repetition and my own comments, follow:
Mr WILKIE (Clark) (16:14): I'm acutely aware that there are only minutes left for this parliament this year, but there's one very notable Australian who has not been mentioned this afternoon, and I seek to remedy that. I seek leave to move:
That the House:
1) notes that:
(a) Walkley Award winning Australian journalist, Mr Julian Assange, remains incarcerated in HMP Belmarsh in the United Kingdom, despite a British Court earlier this year finding that Mr Assange could not be extradited to the United States of America for health reasons;
(b) the US continues to pursue Mr Assange and has recently been back in court in the UK appealing the earlier decision to refuse the extradition;
(c) the reason for the US's determination to extradite Mr Assange is limited to Wikileaks' exposes in 2010 and 2011 of US war crimes and other misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Guantanamo Bay, including the release of the 'Collateral Murder' video in which a US helicopter in Iraq gunned down innocent civilians including journalists;
(d) recent revelations in the media show the Central Intelligence Agency developed plans to abduct and assassinate Mr Assange; and
(e) the continuing incarceration of Mr Assange, and any extradition to the US, would not only be a grave injustice but a severe threat to his health and life; and
(2) calls on the Prime Minister to:
(a) speak directly with his counterparts in the US and UK to bring an end to this madness, including the US dropping all charges against Mr Assange and the UK allowing his immediate release; and
(b) commit to not allow the extradition of Mr Assange to the US from Australia.
Leave not granted.
Mr WILKIE: I move:
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Clark from moving the following motion immediately—That the House:
1) notes that:
(a) Walkley Award winning Australian journalist, Mr Julian Assange, remains incarcerated in HMP Belmarsh in the United Kingdom, despite a British Court earlier this year finding that Mr Assange could not be extradited to the United States of America for health reasons;
(b) the US continues to pursue Mr Assange and has recently been back in court in the UK appealing the earlier decision to refuse the extradition;
(c) the reason for the US's determination to extradite Mr Assange is limited to Wikileaks' exposes in 2010 and 2011 of US war crimes and other misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Guantanamo Bay, including the release of the 'Collateral Murder' video in which a US helicopter in Iraq gunned down innocent civilians including journalists;
(d) recent revelations in the media show the Central Intelligence Agency developed plans to abduct and assassinate Mr Assange; and
(e) the continuing incarceration of Mr Assange, and any extradition to the US, would not only be a grave injustice but a severe threat to his health and life; and
(2) calls on the Prime Minister to:
(a) speak directly with his counterparts in the US and UK to bring an end to this madness, including the US dropping all charges against Mr Assange and the UK allowing his immediate release; and
(b) commit to not allow the extradition of Mr Assange to the US from Australia.
Speaker, there's no time for a rousing speech. Can I simply say there is genuinely an urgent need to suspend the standing orders and deal with this motion because as we sit here an Australian citizen, an Australian journalist, is literally rotting in Belmarsh prison in London and could well die there. And if he is extradited to the US, to lifetime imprisonment in a high-security supermax jail, he will certainly die there. Thank you.
Mr BANDT (Melbourne - Leader of the Australian Greens) (16:19): I second the motion. Given that the clock is running down, I will be brief. The situation with Julian Assange should concern everyone. It sets the precedent that you can be a journalist exposing war crimes and find yourself ground down, to the point where you may no longer be able to stay alive, by some of the most powerful forces and some of the most powerful governments in the world. To anyone who believes in transparency and people abiding by the rule of law, that should send a shiver down everyone's spine. It's also incredibly concerning because it raises the question about what it means to be an Australian citizen and what it means for a government to effectively turn its back on one of its own and allow them to rot and be subject to not only legal proceedings but potential threats of assassination and abduction, as the member for Clark has referred to in the motion.
I want to commend the work done by all members of the Parliamentary Friends of the Bring Julian Assange Home Group and acknowledge the work of our Senators Peter Whish-Wilson, in particular, and Janet Rice, who have been pursuing this matter over in the Senate. Given the limited time, I commend this motion to the House.
The SPEAKER: The question is that the motion moved by the member for Clark be disagreed to.
Question agreed to.
Hansard's recording of this exchange seems somewhat cryptic: What was "agreed to" was to disallow Andrew Wilkie's second attempt to put his motion. In this second attempt, he tried to have the 'standing orders', which the Speaker had used to disallow his first attempt to put the motion, suspended. Presumably, although this is not explicitly stated, the Speaker had evidently asked those against Andrew Wilkie's motion being put say 'aye' and those in favour to say 'noe'. No one of the majority of MPs who voted against the motion paid to Andrew Wilkie or to the citizens of this country the courtesy of stating their reasons for doing so, Furthemore, because a division was not called for, we cannot know for certain which of the MPs voted to gag Andrew Wilkie, Adam Bandt and their supporters.
Such is Hansard's record of one attempt by MPs and Senators, who support Julian Assange, to put to our Parliament the case for Julian Assange and to hold to account the government for, at best, its failure to act to end the illegal imprisonment in solitary confinement of an Australian citizen who has committed no crime and, at worst, the Australian government's collusion with the US and other governments against Julian Assange.
By my calculation, this exchange lasted only 4-and-a-half minutes. It is nevertheless more substantial than other exchanges in Parliament about Julian Assange, both before and since.
Footnote[s]
[1] For the sake of some brevity, I will, from now on, refer to the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Support Group just as the Julian Assange Parliamentary Support Group. The 41 MPs and Senators in this group have been listed by the Bring Julian Assange Home Campaign. They include the current Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Barnaby Joyce, the Deputy Prime Minister in the previous Liberal/National Coalition government. Given that they have both clearly failed to use the power they had vested in them to end the illegal imprisonment of Julian Assange, whether or not they remain members of the group on paper, they can't really be considered genuine members of this group, in my opinion. Hopefully I won't find that any other members are also as disingenuous as these two, but until and unless that occurs, I will consider the size of the group to be 39 - still quite a large number to have been denied the right to present its views to Parliament.
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