June 25th 2024.
After spending more than five years in prison, Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has finally been released in the UK. This was made possible through a plea deal that was reached between him and the US Justice Department. According to court documents filed on Monday, Assange, an Australian national, has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge, bringing an end to a lengthy legal battle that has spanned across continents.
According to Wikileaks, Assange has already been released from Belmarsh Prison, where he has spent 1901 days. He was granted bail by the UK High Court and left Britain from London's Stansted Airport. However, the organization has clarified that the plea deal is yet to be finalized.
In a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wikileaks expressed their relief at Assange's release. They mentioned that he will soon be reunited with his wife and children, who have only known their father behind bars for the past five years. The organization also highlighted the fact that Assange had been held in a small cell for 23 hours a day, and his release is a result of a global campaign that involved grassroots organizers, press freedom activists, legislators, and leaders from different political backgrounds.
Assange is expected to appear in a federal court in the Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Western Pacific, where he will plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge. This charge accuses him of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information. The Justice Department, in a letter filed in court, has stated that the guilty plea must be approved by a judge. The sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday morning, local time in Saipan, the largest island in the Mariana Islands.
The hearing is taking place in the Mariana Islands because Assange has refused to travel to the continental US. It is also in close proximity to Australia, where he is expected to return after his sentencing. Wikileaks has expressed their gratitude to all those who have supported Assange and fought for his freedom. They mentioned that his release is a result of a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, and it was made possible due to the relentless efforts of those who believe in press freedom and the people's right to know.
Assange's reputation has been a controversial one, with some hailing him as a hero for exposing military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan, while others have accused him of tarnishing his image due to rape allegations. These allegations have been denied by Assange. In 2019, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment against him, accusing him of encouraging and assisting Chelsea Manning, a US Army intelligence analyst, in stealing diplomatic cables and military files that were later published by Wikileaks.
The case against Assange has faced criticism from press advocates and his supporters, who believe that he was targeted for his role as a publisher and journalist. However, the federal prosecutors have defended their case, stating that Assange's actions went beyond that of a journalist gathering information, and instead, he had actively solicited and indiscriminately published classified government documents. The case has also faced criticism because it was brought even though the Obama administration had previously decided against prosecuting Assange.
The plea agreement comes after President Joe Biden's announcement that he was considering a request from Australia to drop the US's pursuit of prosecuting Assange. Manning, who was convicted of violating the Espionage Act and other offenses for leaking classified government and military documents to Wikileaks, was sentenced to 35 years in prison. However, her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama, and she was released after serving seven years.
Assange's family and supporters have expressed their concerns over his physical and mental health, which has deteriorated during his decade-long legal battle. This includes the seven years he spent inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he sought political asylum. He was later arrested in 2019 by British police after Ecuador revoked his asylum status, and he has been jailed in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison ever since. Although the rape investigation against him in Sweden was eventually dropped, Assange remains in prison due to the US's extradition request.
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