Julian Assange, who has been 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.
“Julian needs time to recover, to get used to freedom,” his wife told reporters.
Assange and US officials have been engaged in a legal dispute for the past 14 years as the US officials believed 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.
Mrs. Assange stated, “You have to understand what he’s been through” and she also said that the family required time to “let our family be a family.”
The couple, who got married in 2022 while incarcerated in London’s Belmarsh prison, is parents to two kids. Julian Assange entered a plea agreement whereby he admitted guilt to just one of the eighteen charges of conspiracy to obtain and expose information related to national defense, as opposed to the original 18.
The case involved a significant revelation made by Wikileaks in 2010 when the website published footage of civilian deaths in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad taken from a US military helicopter.
Also, thousands of secret documents were leaked, allegedly indicating that hundreds of civilians had been killed by US forces in unreported incidents during the Afghanistan War. These disclosures gained international attention, sparked debate, and brought American engagement in overseas conflicts under close examination.
Two days after leaving Belmarsh prison, Assange formally entered the charge on the isolated American island in the Pacific known as the Northern Mariana Islands, in exchange for being sentenced to time already served and being allowed to return home via plane.
Jen Robinson, his attorney, told 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.
Assange told the prime minister that he “saved his life”, Ms Robinson said, adding: “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 said.
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.”
Though he does not agree with everything that Assange has done, the PM has previously stated that the issue should be given top attention and that “enough was enough” for him to be released. He responded, “We have a very positive relationship with the United States,” when asked if the plea agreement will have an impact on US-Australian relations. I consider President Biden to be a friend, and I think their friendship is crucial.”
According to the US State Department, Assange’s issue has received very little of their attention. It further stated that the 52-year-old’s actions had endangered the lives of US friends, partners, and diplomats and that the Wikileaks leaks had “chilled” US diplomats’ capacity to forge relationships overseas.
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 rape and sexual assault in Sweden in 2010, but he maintained his innocence. 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.
“It’s a chapter of shame and betrayal that ends with his release,” Clara Berglund, head of the Swedish Women’s Lobby, told Reuters news agency.
“This is about a case that takes place on the major political stages, and men’s violence against women is given incredibly little weight.”
