THE Unites States’ efforts to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange are not worthwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today.

His comment — “enough is enough” — made during an interview comes amid escalating pressure on the US to drop the charges against the 51-year-old, who has been in Belmarsh Prison for the last four years while fighting extradition.

Mr Assange, an Australian citizen, is facing 17 charges of espionage and one of computer misuse in the US after revealing the country’s war crimes.

He had taken asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years before his arrest.

Mr Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Mr Assange’s alleged actions were right or wrong, but noted a previous British district court decision that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that he was likely to die if held under harsh US prison conditions.

“I am concerned about Mr Assange’s mental health,” Mr Albanese said.

He said that Mr Assange’s case had to be examined in terms of whether the time he had “effectively served” was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

“I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration,” Mr Albanese said.

The Australian PM said he has advocated for Mr Assange in meetings with Biden administration officials.

He declined to say whether he would raise the issue with US President Joe Biden when Mr Albanese hosts him along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.