Page 6 - aruba-today-20220916

A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 16 September 2022
WikiLeaks founder’s family brings campaign to Mexico

By MARÍA VERZA sought refuge in Ecuador’s
Associated Press embassy where he stayed
MEXICO CITY (AP) — This until being asked to leave
week the objective was to in 2019. He was immediate-
insert mention of Julian As- ly arrested again.
sange into a meeting be- When his father visited him
tween Mexico’s president in jail that year, Assange
and the United States’ top asked for help.
diplomat. Next week, it That led Shipton to launch
will be to have Australia’s his globetrotting campaign
prime minister bring it up with Gabriel, trying to reach
with the U.S. president at average people, because
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. politicians want those peo-
The efforts are part of the ple’s votes, he said.
campaign by John Ship- They went from Australia to
ton, father of the WikiLeaks Europe, the United States
founder, to find allies and and Mexico. Each politi-
convince the U.S. to drop cian’s statement in favor
espionage charges against of Assange’s release, every
Assange, who remains in a headline, is oxygen for As-
British prison awaiting extra- sange, who has been held
dition to the U.S. in a maximum security pris-
The journey by the septua- on.
genarian Australian archi- The effort has been all con-
tect together with another John Shipton Sr. and Gabriel Shipton the father and brother respectively of Julian Assange suming, Shipton said in a
son, Gabriel, brought them participate in an event sponsored by the Mexican ruling party Morena, at the Unión Telefónica Mexico City hotel, as he
this week to Mexico. The headquarters, entitled “Freedom for Julian Asange: a global struggle,” in Mexico City, Wednesday, and Gabriel listed the day’s
country has become the Sept. 14, 2022. events, which included a
family’s main ally in Latin Associated Press protest at the U.S. embassy,
America since President ton said during the visit to Assange helped U.S. Army press and a fight for justice a meeting with a govern-
Andrés Manuel López Ob- Mexico. Among a packed intelligence analyst Chel- who exposed U.S. military ment official, press inter-
rador offered Assange po- scheduled of events, John sea Manning steal classi- wrongdoing in Iraq and Af- views and phone calls, in-
litical asylum and called for Shipton received the key fied diplomatic cables and ghanistan. cluding one with Assange.
the U.S. to allow him to seek to the capital Wednesday military files that WikiLeaks Assange was arrested in Those calls from prison cut
refuge there. on behalf of Assange, a later published, putting London in 2010 at the re- after 10 minutes, said Ship-
“We call President López ceremonial honor the city lives at risk. He faces 17 quest of Sweden pending ton, who declined to say
Obrador an ice-breaker,” bestows on distinguished charges of espionage and a preliminary investigation how often they speak or
because afterward the guests. The day before, he one charge of computer into allegations of sexual what they discuss. “I can’t
leaders of Chile, Colombia addressed Mexico’s Sen- misuse. assault, which he has de- report on conversations be-
and Bolivia called for his ate. His defenders consider As- nied. In 2012, he broke the tween father and son. This is
release too, Gabriel Ship- American prosecutors say sange a symbol of a free conditions of his bail and not public,” he said.q

Inuits plead for priest’s return to Canada over abuse claims

egation met this week with alcoholism and recurrent back with them.
the Rev. Joannes Rivoire, nightmares. The group alleges that the
hoping to persuade the “He has no remorse,” she priest abused 50-60 chil-
92-year-old to return with said of Wednesday’s meet- dren when he was sta-
them to Canada, where ing with Rivoire. “I left. I tioned in their community
they want him to face jus- didn’t want to hear his lies.” from the 1960s to the 1990s.
tice. Canadian police are France traditionally does The priest has previously de-
also seeking his arrest on a not extradite its citizens a nied allegations of abuse.
sexual assault charge. policy reiterated by the A Lyon-based lawyer for
But the Oblate priest re- French Justice Ministry in the priest did not immedi-
fused and denied wrong- Paris when the Inuit delega- ately respond Thursday to
doing, delegation mem- tion also traveled there for an Associated Press phone
bers said Thursday at a a meeting this week. message seeking comment
news conference in Lyon, At the Lyon news confer- and the lawyer’s office said
the southeastern French ence, the delegation and he was in court for another
From the left, Inuit delegation members Aliku Kotierk, Jesse city where Rivoire lives in a their lawyer urged French matter.
Tungilik , Tanya Tungilik and Steve Mapsalak attend a press care home. authorities to make an ex- The Inuit delegation also
conference in Lyon, central France, Thursday, Sept.15, 2022. The daughter of one of the ception in this case. The met in Lyon with the Rev.
Associated Press
priest’s late alleged victims Canadian government has Vincent Gruber, a repre-
By NICOLAS VAUX-MON- dian Arctic community has described the meeting as previously said that it, too, sentative of the Missionary
TAGNY told alleged victims and like coming face-to-face has asked France to extra- Oblates of Mary Immacu-
Associated Press relatives who traveled to with “the monster.” dite Rivoire. late. The delegation said
LYON, France (AP) — A France to confront him that Tanya Tungilik said she The delegation booked an Gruber told them that he
priest accused of sexually he won’t go back to Cana- blames the priest for her fa- extra seat for their planned has started a procedure
abusing Inuit children when da to be questioned. ther’s death. She said her return to Canada, hoping to expel Rivoire from the
he missioned in their Cana- The 10-member Inuit del- father also suffered from that the priest would fly church.q