Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, first, might I say that that is entirely hypothetical. There is no evidence of interest in him from the United States government. If extradition of Mr Assange were sought on a charge to which capital punishment would apply, we would oppose it. We would oppose it on principle; we would oppose it strongly. We have no evidence, however, that the United States are seeking to extradite him and, in any case, over the past two years they had every opportunity to seek his extradition from the United Kingdom, with which the US have a robust extradition arrangement and about which they have probably got more ease in seeking extradition than they would have were he in Sweden. But they have not sought it. In two years they have not sought it, and it would be easier for them to seek extradition of him from the United Kingdom than it would be from Sweden. Any application for Mr Assange's extradition from Sweden— (Time expired)