Next week, Mr. Assange will make his final appearance before the UK’s High Court to contest his extradition from the United States.
The Australian national, who is being held at London’s Belmarsh Prison, is wanted in the United States on suspicion of espionage and may spend up to 175 years behind bars.
By a vote of 86 to 42, Australian lawmakers supported allowing Mr. Assange to return home.
Supporting the proposal, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has demanded that the Assange case reach a “conclusion” ever since he assumed office in 2022.
When he was on a state visit in October, he brought up the issue directly with US President Joe Biden.
It came after a bipartisan group of Australian Members of Parliament traveled to Washington to urge US senators to support Mr. Assange’s release.
The founder of WikiLeaks is wanted by American authorities for allegedly breaking the law and endangering lives in 2010 and 2011 by disclosing thousands of confidential papers online.
He has long maintained that there is political motivation behind the lawsuit against him. According to his legal team, if he is extradited to the United States, he could end his own life.
A UK judge denied Mr. Assange’s request for extradition in 2021 due to worries about his mental state.
After that, the High Court overturned the ruling, citing evidence from the US that Mr. Assange would be taken care of securely. Home Secretary Priti Patel authorized the US extradition in 2022.
