Leaving prison

Julian Assange has left Great Britain

The US government accuses Assange of stealing and publishing secret material from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants.(Bild: AFP)

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is free, according to the whistleblowing platform WikiLeaks. He has left the high-security prison near London, where he had been imprisoned for five years, and the UK. He intends to plead guilty in part.

Assange reached an agreement with the US Department of Justice, according to which he will plead partly guilty in the espionage scandal in return for being spared further imprisonment in the USA.

According to court documents, the 52-year-old Australian has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US defense documents. However, a court still has to approve the agreement.

Prison already served in the UK
Assange is scheduled to appear before a court in a remote US territory this Wednesday: the Mariana Islands. The archipelago is located in the Western Pacific and is under US jurisdiction. He will then travel on to Australia. According to US media, Assange is to be sentenced to a good five years in prison - which he has already served in the UK.

Video: Stella Assange asks for financial help for Wikileaks founder

"New phase of freedom"
 In a video, Julian Assange's wife called on his supporters to help the Wikileaks founder after his release (see video above). "We intend to set up an emergency fund for Julian's health and recovery," said Stella Assange. "I ask you, if you can, to contribute and help us transition to this new phase of Julian's freedom."

I ask you, if you can, to contribute and help us transition to this new phase of Julian's freedom.

Stella Assange

The video was reportedly recorded on June 19. In it, Stella Assange stands outside London's Belmarsh prison, where Assange was held for more than five years. Wikileaks chief Kristinn Hrafnsson says: "If you see this, it means he's out," it said.

The US government accuses Assange of stealing and publishing secret material from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US whistleblowers.(Bild: AFP)

Julian Assange on June 24, 2024(Bild: AFP)

"Glad that martyrdom has finally come to an end"
"I am grateful that my son's ordeal has finally come to an end," Australian broadcaster ABC quoted on Tuesday from a statement by the WikiLeaks founder's mother, Christine Assange. "This shows how important and powerful quiet diplomacy is."

What Assange is accused of
The US government accuses Assange of stealing and publishing secret material from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US whistleblowers. Assange's supporters, on the other hand, see him as being targeted by the Washington justice system for exposing US war crimes.

If convicted without an agreement with the prosecution, Assange could face up to 175 years in prison for espionage.