Assange declared a free man, boards plane headed to Australia
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Australian journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a free man after taking plea deal in a US court.
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, center, is escorted to a vehicle as he leaves the federal court in Saipan, Mariana Islands, June 26, 2024. (AP)
A US judge has sentenced WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to time served, with no supervised release, following his guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information related to the national defense of the United States.
Assange has been imprisoned in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London since April 2019 after British police were allowed to raid the Ecuadorian Embassy where he had secured asylum since 2012.
"You will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man," the judge declared to Assange, marking the end of a high-profile legal battle.
The United States has sought to put Assange on trial for publishing US military secrets and evidence of war crimes in the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is accused of publishing some 700,000 confidential documents relating to US military and diplomatic activities, starting in 2010.
US authorities have accused Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act, which experts warn means he could be sentenced to 175 years in prison.
Following the court's decision, a federal prosecutor announced that US barristers in the United Kingdom are withdrawing their extradition request for Assange. Additionally, the United States will take immediate steps to overturn the remaining charges against Assange in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The proceedings took place in a federal courtroom in the Northern Mariana Islands, where Assange reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
Barry Pollack, Assange's criminal defense lawyer, emphasized that WikiLeaks' work would continue and praised Assange's enduring commitment to freedom of speech and transparency. "WikiLeaks' work will continue, and Mr. Assange, I have no doubt, will be a continuing force for freedom of speech and transparency in government. He has a powerful voice that cannot and should not be silenced," Pollack told journalists.
Pollack also noted that the court determined no harm was caused by Assange's publications.
Jennifer Robinson, another legal counselor for Assange, hailed the day as historic, signaling the end of 14 years of legal battles.
Assange left the courtroom to applause and cheering, as captured in a live broadcast. He did not make any statements to the press.
The US has been pushing to extradite Assange from London to the United States, which has raised alarms among activists, law experts, and fellow journalists.
Assange's case garnered backing from human rights and journalism organizations like Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists. These organizations and others were concerned that prosecuting Assange under the Espionage Act, especially if handed a heavy sentence, could establish a dangerous precedent for charging journalists with national security offenses.
Stella Assange announces husband's freedom
Julian is free!!!!
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) June 25, 2024
Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. tHANK YOU. THANK YOU.
Follow @WikiLeaks for more info soon…pic.twitter.com/gW4UWCKP44
In an update, Julian Assange's wife, Stella Assange announced that her husband had boarded a flight out of the UK.
WikiLeaks' page on X posted a statement on Sunday detailing the most recent developments which saw Assange exit the UK. It explained that Assange left Belmarsh prison on the morning of June 24, after spending 1901 days in detention.
