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WikiLeaks
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Father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange calls on Australia to bring him home

  • John Shipton – who reportedly visited Assange every Christmas at the Ecuador embassy in London – said he was shocked to see his son’s condition

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange being handled by Metropolitan Police officers during his arrest outside the Ecuador embassy in London on April 11, 2019. Photo: Adrian Cotterill/Daily Dooh/Reuters
Agence France-Presse
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s father on Sunday called on Australia to bring his son home, saying he was shocked to see his son’s condition after his arrest in London last week.

John Shipton – who was secretary of the WikiLeaks Party when his son tried to run for a senate seat in 2013 national elections – reportedly visited Assange every Christmas at the Ecuador embassy in London after he sought refuge there in 2012.

Julian Assange being dragged out of Ecuador’s embassy in London by police on April 11, 2019. Photo: Ruptly
Julian Assange being dragged out of Ecuador’s embassy in London by police on April 11, 2019. Photo: Ruptly
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“DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the prime minister should in a nuanced way do something,” Shipton told Melbourne’s Sunday Herald Sun.

“It can be resolved simply to the satisfaction of all. There has been some talk in a meeting between a senator and a senior DFAT official to extradite Julian to Australia.”

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Shipton said he was shocked to see the state of his son when he was arrested at the embassy on Thursday on allegations of skipping bail and on a US extradition warrant related to a huge leak of official documents.

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