The wife of the WikiLeaks founder has said that Julian Assange's life is "in the hands of the Australian government" and called for his release.
Stella Assange, who is also part of her husband's legal team, contended that Assange's release from prison has never been closer, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "make it happen," Australia's SBS News reported on Monday.
"It is important to recognize that Australia plays an important role and can secure Julian's release," Assange told the National Press Club.
"Julian's life is in the hands of the Australian government. It is not my place to tell the government how to do it, but it must be done. Julian has to be released," she went on to say.
Her comments came just weeks after Albanese said there was "nothing to be served" by keeping Assange locked up — a comment he repeated on Monday, according to the SBS.
In April, Stephen Smith, Australia's new high commissioner to the UK, visited Assange at London's maximum-security Belmarsh Prison in April.
Assange, an Australian citizen, is being held in the UK, where authorities authorized his extradition to the U.S. last year. He is wanted for his alleged role in espionage and the dissemination of classified U.S. military information.
The U.S. Justice Department labeled Assange's actions as part of the "largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States."
In November of last year, major global media outlets joined forces to call on the U.S. to drop charges against the founder of WikiLeaks and to halt his prosecution in order to protect journalism.
He has been on remand for about four years at Belmarsh Prison after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he initially sought diplomatic asylum from Swedish authorities.
Stella and Assange have two children, born in 2017 and 2019.
The Australian government has expressed support for Assange being returned to Australia but has stressed that Canberra is unable to intervene in another country's court processes.
