Sydney:

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voted in favor of a motion in the House of Commons calling for the return of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to Australia, ahead of a High Court hearing in London on his extradition next week.

The motion, tabled by independent MP Andrew Wilkie, was passed by 86 votes to 42 on Wednesday after being backed by the Labor government. The majority of members of the conservative opposition coalition opposed the motion.

“(The motion) will send a strong political signal to the UK government and the US government,” Wilkie told parliament before the vote.

U.S. officials are seeking Assange’s extradition to the U.S. from a British prison on criminal charges stemming from the WikiLeaks leak of a trove of classified U.S. military records and diplomatic cables.

Britain has approved his extradition, but Assange, an Australian citizen, has launched what could be a final legal challenge to block the extradition. Public hearings will be held on February 20 and 21, when two judges will review a previous ruling rejecting Assange’s appeal.

Wilkie said he would travel to Britain for next week’s hearing.

“Whether you adore Julian Assange or loathe him, this has gone on long enough,” Wilkie told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Albanese has been urging the United States to drop its extradition request and release Assange, saying he is frustrated that a diplomatic solution has not yet been found.

Assange’s supporters say he was victimized because he exposed U.S. wrongdoing and potential criminal conduct, including in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Washington said leaking secret documents would put lives at risk.

Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said the issue of Assange’s extradition was raised during a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in Washington last month.

“This was a private discussion, but this administration’s position on Assange was clear and has not changed,” Dreyfus said in a statement.

“It’s time for this to end.”

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