Julian Assange, the polarizing activist and WikiLeaks founder, has been released from a British prison and is en route to his home country of Australia after reaching a plea deal with the U.S. government. On Monday, June 24, following a 13-year legal battle, Assange left London’s Belmarsh Prison. He was seen boarding a plane at London Stansted Airport, with the next steps of his legal journey taking place far from the U.K.
The Plea Deal and Legal Developments
Assange, 52, is expected to appear in court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, on Wednesday, June 26, after reaching a plea deal with the U.S. government. According to papers filed on June 24, the U.S. Justice Department has agreed to drop 18 espionage charges against him. Instead, Assange is expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified national defense information.
The Associated Press reported that Assange landed in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday, June 25, for refueling before continuing his journey to Saipan. This U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean was chosen for the hearing due to Assange’s opposition to traveling to the continental U.S. and its relative proximity to Australia.
Sentencing and Future Prospects
Assange is expected to be sentenced to 62 months in jail. However, the 62 months he has already spent in prison in London will count as time served. The guilty plea must now be approved by a federal judge, and Assange will become a free man once the plea deal is signed off by the court.
Reactions and Statements
Assange’s wife, Stella, expressed her joy regarding the plea deal, stating:
“I mean, I’m just elated. Frankly, it’s just incredible. It feels like it’s not real.”
She emphasized that the deal involved time served, allowing Assange to walk free upon judicial approval.
Julian Assange’s Journey and Impact
Julian Assange gained international fame in the early 2000s when he founded WikiLeaks, a nonprofit media organization aimed at bringing important news and information to the public. WikiLeaks became controversial for publishing classified or confidential material, including thousands of documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and emails from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Assange has been both hailed as a hero for his work and condemned as a cyberterrorist. Despite maintaining the importance of his work, he has faced numerous legal troubles. Assange had been in a London prison since April 2019 after living in the city’s Ecuadorian Embassy for seven years to avoid extradition to the United States.
Conclusion
The plea deal marks a significant turning point in Julian Assange’s lengthy legal battle. With the resolution of his case imminent, Assange’s departure from the U.K. and his return to Australia signal the end of a turbulent chapter in his life and the ongoing saga of WikiLeaks.
