WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, was released from prison earlier today, after agreeing to a plea deal with U.S. authorities, WikiLeaks has announced.
JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE
Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a…
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 24, 2024
Assange, who had been detained in Britain for five years while fighting extradition, has now left the country.
He agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate national defense information. The plea deal was filed in court in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Assange, 52, is scheduled to appear in the U.S. territory on Wednesday. He is expected to receive a 62-month prison sentence but will get credit for the five years and two months already served in Britain, potentially allowing him to return to Australia soon.
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, welcomed the news, saying that there was nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration. Nevertheless, the prime minister observed that “while this is a welcome development, we recognise that these proceedings are crucial and they’re delicate.”
The Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith, accompanied Assange on his flight from London.
Assange’s family has expressed gratitude for his release. His wife, Stella Assange, thanked supporters, writing on X that the family’s “immense gratitude” cannot be expressed in words.
In 2010, WikiLeaks released hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, in what was one of the largest security breaches in U.S. history. Assange was indicted during former President Donald Trump’s administration for these releases.
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