After Smith's visit to the tiny cell where Assange has been confined for what will be four years come this April 19, fighting a Washington extradition request that if approved and acted upon would have him facing espionage charges in a US court, Australia's Labour Party Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that he had  "said publicly that I have raised the issues" of the US charges under a century-old Espionage Act that has never before been used against a journalist, and of the extradition effort as well as the 12-year dogged pursuit by the US of the Wikileaks publisher.

Interview of Dave Lindorff on the Assange case developments by 'Torch" host Paul DeRienzo on PRN (interview begins at 15.49)

Albanese said he had "encouraged" his High Commissioner to visit the captive Assange — the first time any Australian consular official had visited this Australian captive since his incarceration in the medieval prison for major violent criminals since his ordeal there began in 2019.