Assange hasn’t seen his children for six months, says father
JULIAN ASSANGE has not seen the two children he conceived while in the Ecuadorian embassy for six months, his father has said as the Wikileaks founder’s extradition hearing resumed.
John Shipton said his son had not been able to embrace his children while being held in custody in Belmarsh due to quarantine regulations.
He made the comments as court proceedings over whether Mr Assange, 49, should be extradited to the US started again yesterday after a seven-month hiatus due to coronavirus.
Around 100 protesters, including Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer, and Stella Moris, Mr Assange’s partner, gathered outside the Old Bailey in London to demand his release.
Mr Assange is battling against extradition to the US for allegedly conspiring with Chelsea Manning, an army intelligence analyst, to expose military secrets between January and May 2010. A US grand jury has indicted him on 18 charges – 17 of which fall under the Espionage Act – including conspiracy to receive, obtain and disclose classified diplomatic and military documents.
During the hearing, Mr Assange’s barrister, Edward Fitzgerald QC, said that his client should not be extradited as the Trump administration was seeking “to make an example of Julian Assange” and argued he would not get a fair trial in the US, where he faces up to 175 years in prison.
Addressing protesters outside court, Mr Shipton described the hearing as an
“abuse trial” and voiced concerns over his son’s treatment in prison.
Mr Assange had two children by Ms Moris, a 37-year-old lawyer, while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years.
Mr Shipton said: “Julian hasn’t seen those children for six months.
“They weren’t allowed to embrace their father under the regulation that if they touched each other Julian would have to spend two weeks in self-isolation, in quarantine, in jail, as if circumstances are not dire enough.”