Despite what the movies tell you there is no such thing as true immunity.
If you commit a crime in another country under "diplomatic immunity", your host country must decide to waive your immunity and allow you to be prosecuted, or have you expelled back to your native country. The receiving country could then request extradition for a criminal trial (so you essentially get kicked out as a diplomat, and drug back as a citizen).
In the specific case of Assange, professional activity outside official functions isn't protected at all. So if Australia did come to his defense and claimed he was acting in a professional capacity for doing something like leaking US military secrets, it would be an act of state sponsored terrorism.
How would that be, in any way, shape or form, terrorism? If anything,
it might be espionage or something in that vein. Calling whistle-blowing
terrorism is disingenuous at best.
Terrorism is loosely defined as actions by an individual or organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.
Almost word for word the mission statement of Wikileaks.
That's the stupidest definition of terrorism I have ever seen.
You could call pretty much ANYTHING slightly subversive terrorism
under this definition.
Movements for social change? Terrorism.
Peaceful demonstrations against government policy? Terrorism.
Any sort of activism? Terrorism.
I stand by my opinion: calling whistle-blowing
terrorism is a ridiculous appeal to emotion, and anyone who even dares
to attempt it should be laughed out of the building.
If you commit a crime in another country under "diplomatic immunity", your host country must decide to waive your immunity and allow you to be prosecuted, or have you expelled back to your native country. The receiving country could then request extradition for a criminal trial (so you essentially get kicked out as a diplomat, and drug back as a citizen).
In the specific case of Assange, professional activity outside official functions isn't protected at all. So if Australia did come to his defense and claimed he was acting in a professional capacity for doing something like leaking US military secrets, it would be an act of state sponsored terrorism.