MELBOURNE, June 11: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said that he’s been offered no help from the Australian government since 2010, contrary to the claims of Foreign Minister Bob Carr.
Assange, an Australian citizen, sought refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy on June 19 last year and has since been granted political asylum by the South American country.
He is trying to avoid extradition to Sweden to face 2010 allegations of sexual offences in Sweden, which he denies.
He fears that if extradited he could be sent to the US to face espionage charges after WikiLeaks published a trove of classified documents, Australian Associated Press reported.
Assange, 41, said the government’s claim of providing him with a high level of consular assistance were “remarkable” and “absurd” as he’d had no real contact with Australian officials for some time.
“I have not met… Any consulate, any Australian government official, since 2010,” he was quoted as saying in the media here.
“Money that should be spent on actual consular support is simply spent on producing press releases for the foreign minister to make it look like he gives a damn about Australians,” he said.
Last week, Carr declined a report on Australia washing its hands of Assange and told a Senate estimates hearing that the government continued to provide him with a high level of consular assistance.
Assange has recently announced plans to run for the Senate in Victoria at the September 14 federal election, with the WikiLeaks party aiming to field upper house candidates also in NSW and Western Australia. (PTI)
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