Australian government retracts claim Assange is an outlaw

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

Sydney - The Australian government on Friday retracted its claim WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is an outlaw amid demonstrations by supporters in three cities calling for his release from custody in London.

Attorney General Robert McClelland said police investigations into whether releasing classified US documents was a crime in Australia would probably take more than a year to complete.

"It's specifically not my job to comment on or allege any person has been involved in criminal conduct," he said.

His statement was a repudiation of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who last week said the release by Assange of thousands of US diplomatic cables was "a grossly irresponsible thing to do and an illegal thing to do."

Last week, McClelland said it was possible that Assange's Australian passport could be canceled, but he refused to repeat that threat.

The Greens, who are partners in Gillard's minority government, have said Assange should be offered sanctuary in Australia if he is released from jail in Britain, where he was being held on an extradition request from Sweden, where he is accused of sexual assault.

At rallies in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra, 39-year-old Assange was hailed a national hero and Gillard blasted for declaring him an outlaw.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357495,assange-is-an-outlaw.html.