Stella Assange, the wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange announced Wednesday that her husband would make a public appearance after recovering from years in prison and court struggles against extradition to the United States.

Earlier in the day, a US court sentenced Assange to time served and no supervised release after he pleaded guilty to one of the US espionage counts as part of a plea agreement with US prosecutors. According to Flightradar, the jet with Assange on board arrived in Canberra at 09:37 GMT.

John Shipton, Assange's father, said on Wednesday that he was "doing cartwheels" following his son's release from the British Belmarsh Prison.

Stella told ABC that "Julian wanted me to sincerely thank everyone. He wanted to be here. But you have to understand what he has been through. He needs time. He needs to recuperate. And this is a process. I ask you – please – to give us space, to give us privacy. To find our place."

She explained that her husband who has spent a long 14-year legal battle will speak to the public "at a time of his choosing."

Stella affirmed that Assange would continue to promote human rights because it is "just part of who he is" adding that he is "deeply principled, and he remains deeply principled. And unafraid."

Assange's wife has also stated her belief that he should be pardoned. The US should have concluded the matter by dismissing the accusations, she added.

"I think that he will be pardoned if the press unite to push back against this precedent. Because it affects all of you. It affects your future ability to warn the public and to publish without fear," she warned.

She stated that the press must work together to advocate for amendments to the US Espionage Act, under which Assange was convicted, and that doing so will benefit all media outlets.

White House 'not involved' in Assange case

White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby explained during a news briefing that the White House had no involvement in finalizing Julian Assange's legal case, detailing that "The White House was not involved in any way whatsoever in Julian Assange's case … and the decisions pursuant … to his sentencing and his repatriation back to Australia, that was a DOJ matter."

Assange had 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 in 2012. 

The United States 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.

On Tuesday, newly filed court papers indicated that Julian Assange entered into a plea deal with the United States government.

In early June, a YouGov and ABC News poll indicated that 70% of Australians believe Assange should have all charges against him dropped.