From Gabriel Shipton (Julian’s brother)
Today in London, my family and I attended what we thought would be Julian’s final hearing on UK soil at the Royal Court of Justice. But what played out was far from what we’d expected – and became a huge win for the campaign. Julian has won the right to appeal the case to extradite him.
This might feel like Groundhog Day because, in some ways, it is—we just finished an appeal process and now have to start again. All because UK judges didn’t believe the US would protect Julian under the same free speech rules that apply to every US citizen.
To go this far and fail over something so symbolic is deeply embarrassing for the United States.
It reveals a political opportunity—pressure is building on the US President and Congress, and we can maintain it by urging the Australian government to question why Julian isn’t protected by the same laws as US citizens.
Right now, the team and I are heading to the airport to visit these decision-makers in the United States. Over the last few months, we’ve started to make real progress there. Recently, when pressed on it by journalists in the US, President Biden admitted that the US is actively considering Australia’s request to drop the charges against Julian.
We’re gearing up for a major new campaign in the US to intensify pressure on key decision-makers. We’ve started a new US Campaign Fund to take the campaign right to their front door—will you be one of the first to chip $50 in today? Your contribution in the next 48 hours will allow us to show just how strong, and how ready, our movement is.
I will write to update you as soon as I return from the US, telling you how it went and what is next for the US campaign. In the meantime, thank you for everything you are doing.
