Pressure mounting for AG to drop prosecutions of whistleblowers, McBride and Boyle

A group of 17 international whistleblowing organisations have written to AG Dreyfus asking that he halt the prosecutions of whistleblowers, former ADF lawyer David McBride and ex ATO officer, Richard Boyle. They state that Australia's reputation is being harmed by the prosecutions.

Major David McBride who publicly revealed information about possible war crimes in Afghanistan, was due to start his public interest disclosure (PID) defence in the ACT Supreme Court on 27 October. After a hearing of around 15 minutes, when his lawyers were informed that his witnesses would not be heard because of 'national security' reasons, they abandoned the defence. See article by Greens Senator David Shoebridge here.

Richard Boyle finished his public interest disclosure in the Adelaide District Court in October and is awaiting a decision by the judge. If he fails in that defence, he will go to court to face the 24 charges against him, possibly leading to decades in jail.

The Alliance Against Political Prosecutions has been organising weekly pickets for Assange, McBride and Boyle, outside the Attorney-General's department in Canberra each Tuesday at 12.30pm. Next Tuesday 8 November, they will be outside MP Andrew Leigh's office at 12.30pm, then back to AGs on 15 Nov. Join up on the AAPP website for newsletters.

Adelaide 4Assange is organising pickets outside FM Penny Wong's office, 19 Gouger St Adelaide, each Tuesday at 4.30pm.

Now that the US Mid-term elections are nearly over it's a great time to put pressure on the Albanese government by writing or phoning PM Albanese ((02) 9564 3588) asking him to get the US to drop the charges against Assange now, and bring him home for Xmas. There won't be a better time!

Kathryn Kelly

Co-convenor AAPP