Deal ends martyrdom
Judge to Assange: “You are a free man”
A US court on the Mariana Island of Saipan, which belongs to the USA, has approved the deal between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the American judiciary in connection with espionage allegations and finally sealed his release. The judge dismissed the 52-year-old with the words: "You may leave the courtroom a free man."
As reported, the whistleblower will be released in return for a guilty plea. For a long time, the American judiciary wanted to try Assange on espionage charges. He would have faced up to 175 years in prison in the USA. Instead, however, he negotiated a deal with the US judiciary and has now pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified documents. According to the BBC and the Guardian, Judge Manglona stipulated that the sentence would be based on the time the internet activist had already served in a high-security prison in London.
Back to his homeland
The judicial deal spares Assange a trial and potentially further imprisonment in the USA. The United States had previously demanded his extradition from the UK. Instead, the 52-year-old has now been able to return to his home country. He flew directly from Saipan to Canberra on Wednesday, as WikiLeaks announced on the X platform. The Northern Mariana Islands are only a few hours' flight north of Australia.
Assange's lawyers spoke of a "historic day". "I hope that the fact that we have succeeded today in freeing Julian Assange against all odds and against one of the most powerful governments in the world gives hope to all imprisoned journalists and publishers worldwide," said human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson. "It is appropriate for the judge to find, as she did today, that continued detention of Mr. Assange would be neither fair nor appropriate and that it is time for him to be reunited with his family," said his lawyer Barry Pollack.
Justice odyssey began with rape allegations
Assange began his imprisonment in the Belmarsh maximum security prison in London around five years ago. Before his arrest in April 2019, he had spent seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, evading law enforcement authorities. They had initially targeted him over allegations of rape in Sweden. However, these accusations were later dropped due to a lack of evidence. While the USA demanded Assange's extradition for years, human rights organizations, journalists' associations, artists and politicians called for his immediate release. The Australian government also campaigned for the release of its citizen.
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