Politicians from Australia and the UK, from all political leanings, have asked U.S. Attorney-General Merrick Garland to end all extradition attempts for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In an open letter, 48 Australian parliamentarians from the government, opposition, and crossbench said extradition would set a “dangerous precedent” for freedom of the press and be “needlessly damaging” for the United States as a world leader in freedom of expression.

“If the extradition request is approved, Australians will witness the deportation of one of our citizens from one AUKUS partner to another—our closest strategic ally—with Mr Assange facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison,” the letter reads.

The MPs and senators noted that Assange has been “effectively incarcerated” for over a decade, while the person who leaked the classified information, Chelsea Manning, has “been able to participate in American society since 2017.”

“A clear majority of Australians consider that this matter has gone on for far too long and must be brought to a close,” the letter says.

“We implore you to drop the extradition proceedings and allow Mr Assange to return home.”

Assange’s father, John Shipton, previously said that his son’s incarceration was “excoriating and scarring” for him and his family.

“After 14 years, you no longer use the term hope,” he said in March.

But he was heartened at the growing support for his release from across the political spectrum.

“The incoming tide is now turning into a tsunami of support,” he said.

“You don’t need to be a weatherman to see which way the wind’s blowing.”

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