The release of journalist Julian Assange from British jails following a plea bargain with the US justice system has dominated global headlines in recent hours.
The final chapter of Julian Assange’s “odyssey” is expected to begin today as he flies to Canberra, hours after pleading guilty in court in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, WikiLeaks said in a post on the X (formerly Twitter) platform. The flight is expected to land in the capital at 6.40pm AEST.
A court in Saipan upheld Julian Assange’s deal with the US justice system, which saw the WikiLeaks founder plead guilty to “conspiracy to obtain and disclose information relating to national security” and receive a 62-month prison sentence, a sentence he has already served in the UK.
According to WikiLeaks, the 52-year-old Australian left Belmarsh prison on Monday morning and was released at Stanstead airport in the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and left the UK. Julian Assange was released after five years in Britain’s maximum security Belmarsh prison, having spent the previous seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
He also faced separate charges of rape and sexual assault in Sweden, which he denied. He spent seven years in hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, claiming that the Swedish case would lead to his deportation to the US. Swedish authorities dropped the case in 2019, saying that a long time had passed since the original complaint, but British authorities later detained him. He was charged with failing to surrender to the courts for extradition to Sweden.
WikiLeaks released a video showing Julian Assange walking freely on the airport tarmac before boarding a plane.In a post on the X (formerly Twitter) platform, WikiLeaks welcomed the outcome, which was the result of a “global campaign” that went as far as the United Nations. “As he returns to Australia, we thank everyone who supported us, fought for us, and remained fully engaged in the fight for his freedom,” it said, adding: “Julian’s freedom is our freedom.”
First of all, of course, his wife, Stella Assange, who shouted from the media, “Julian is free. Words are not enough to express our immense gratitude to those who have mobilised for years to free him”.
“After more than five years in a 2×3m cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon be reunited with his wife Stella and their two children, who have only known their father behind bars,” WikiLeaks stressed.
Of course, other users of the platform contributed with a “sea” of support, recalling Assange’s words and key moments in his case.
“Peace can start with the truth”
This quote from Julian Assange is on a monument in Naples,” wrote one user, who also quoted Hillary Clinton’s words about him: “Can’t we drone this guy?”.
“Julian Assange was imprisoned for exposing American war crimes. Cold-blooded murder of civilians. I hope this adventure is over and he stays safe,” another user wished him, while another account recalled what Julian Assange had said about the state-controlled media and its “chosen ones”: “What is the difference between Mark Zuckerberg and me? I give you private information about companies for free and I’m evil. Zuckerberg gives your private information to companies for money and he’s the man of the year”.
Emergency appeal for donations to cover huge $520,000 jet debt
But Assange’s bid for freedom comes with a huge financial burden: a $520,000 debt to the Australian government for charter flight VJ199.Unfortunately, he was not allowed to use commercial airlines or routes to Saipan and then on to Australia, so a charter flight was the only viable solution.
Message from his wife
In an effort to raise the necessary funds, his wife Stella Assange left a touching message on Platform X appealing for help and providing a link for donations.In her message she said:
Within hours, https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/free-julian-assange has raised over 50% of the amount needed to pay off the debt to the Australian government. This immediate response shows the strong public support and the profound impact the Assange case is having on the global community.
