Wikileaks founder Julian Assange lands in Australia a free man

Julian Assange, who was freed from a London prison through a plea agreement, has returned to his home country of Australia.

 

At Canberra Airport, there were tearful scenes as the founder of Wikileaks hugged and kissed his father, with his attorneys present and clearly moved.

Soon after her husband came, Stella Assange stated at a press conference, "Julian needs time to recover, to get used to freedom."

 

Assange and US officials have been engaged in a legal dispute for the past 14 years because they believe Assange leaked confidential documents that could have endangered lives.

 

The 52-year-old allowed his attorney and spouse to speak for him at the press conference in Canberra rather than attending himself.

 

"You have to understand what he's been through," Mrs Assange said, adding that they need time to "let our family be a family".

 

The couple married in London's Belmarsh prison in 2022, and have two children together.

 

The plea deal saw Julian Assange plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, rather than the 18 he was originally facing.

 

The case centred around a massive Wikileaks disclosure in 2010 when the website released a video from a US military helicopter which showed civilians being killed in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

 

It also published thousands of confidential documents suggesting that the US military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan.

 

The disclosures gained international attention, sparked outrage from all around the world, and prompted close examination of US involvement in overseas conflicts.

 

Two days after his release from Belmarsh jail, Assange formally entered the charge on the isolated American territory in the Pacific known as the Northern Mariana Islands.

 

He was given a sentence of time already served in exchange and allowed to depart for home.

 

Jen Robinson, his attorney, stated to the media that the agreement created a "dangerous precedent" and "criminalized journalism."

 

The media "realizes the danger of this US case against Julian, that criminalizes, that has secured his conviction for newsgathering and publishing information that was true, that the public deserved to know," Mrs. Assange said, saying she hoped.

 

Additionally, information about a phone conversation between Assange and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese—who has played a key role in securing his release—was provided by his attorney.

 

Ms. Robinson stated that Assange informed the prime minister that he "saved his life," and she added, "I don't think that's an exaggeration."

 

"This is a huge win that Australia stood up to an ally and demanded the return of an Australian citizen," she stated.

 

At his own press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Albanese expressed his satisfaction that the case is now over and noted that the founder of Wikileaks had gone through a "considerable ordeal."

 

The PM has said in the past that he does not agree with everything Assange has done, but "enough was enough" and it was time for him to be released, making the case a priority.

 

When asked whether the plea deal may affect US-Australia relations, he said: "We have a very positive relationship with the United States. I regard President Biden as a friend, I regard their relationship as being absolutely central."

 

The US State Department said its involvement with Assange's case had been very limited. It added that the 52-year-old's actions had put the lives of US partners, allies and diplomats at risk, and that the Wikileaks releases had "chilled" the ability of US diplomats to build relationships abroad.

 

Assange resisted US efforts to extradite him so he could face charges related to the document leaks over the last five years while incarcerated at London's highly secure Belmarsh Prison.

 

He was accused of both rape and sexual assault in Sweden in 2010, both of which he denied. He claimed that the Swedish case would result in his being transported to the US and spent seven years hiding in Ecuador's embassy in London.

In 2019, the Swedish authorities threw out the case, citing the passage of too much time since the initial allegation.

 

It is regrettable, according to Swedish women's rights organizations, that he was never officially questioned about the rape claims.

 

"With his release, a chapter of shame and betrayal comes to an end," Swedish Women's Lobby director Clara Berglund told Reuters.

 

"This is about a case that takes place on the major political stages, and men's violence against women is given incredibly little weight."