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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from Belmarsh prison in the UK after striking a plea deal with the US. He is expected to return to Australia soon
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Assange, 52, agreed to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents. This deal was made in the US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
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Assange was freed from Belmarsh on June 24 after 1901 days. He was taken to Stansted Airport and boarded a plane to Saipan, a US Pacific territory, where he will attend a court hearing.
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Assange will appear in a Saipan court on Wednesday at 9 am (Tuesday 11 pm GMT) to be sentenced to 62 months, most of which he has already served. After the hearing, he will fly back to Australia.
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His wife, Stella Assange, expressed immense relief, calling it “incredible” that her husband would be freed. She noted the serious implications for journalists due to the guilty plea under the Espionage Act.
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Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006, creating a platform for whistleblowers to submit classified materials. The release of US military footage and diplomatic cables significantly raised the site's profile.
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Assange was first arrested in 2010 in London on Swedish sexual assault charges. He then sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years until 2019. He was held in the UK awaiting the US extradition case.
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The US charged Assange with 17 counts of breaching the Espionage Act in 2019. Pressure from Australia and various advocates led to the plea deal. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other officials called for his release.
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Press freedom advocates argued that charging Assange threatened free speech. Jodie Ginsberg, of the Committee to Protect Journalists, stated that prosecuting Assange under the Espionage Act could have global repercussions for journalists.
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Australian politicians and Assange’s mother expressed gratitude and relief over his impending return. They emphasized the importance of not allowing other countries to charge Australians for acts not committed on their soil.