Julian Assange Returns to Australia After Striking Plea Deal with US Prosecutors

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, returned to his homeland of Australia on Wednesday following a plea deal with US prosecutors that concluded his prolonged legal battle. Assange, 52, pleaded guilty to obtaining and publishing US military secrets in a US district court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The agreement allowed Assange to avoid entering the continental United States. Instead, he flew from a London prison to Saipan on a charter jet and then to Canberra on the same day, accompanied by Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd and High Commissioner to the UK Stephen Smith, both instrumental in negotiating his release.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed Assange’s freedom as a result of “careful, patient, and determined work” by his government, which engaged at the highest levels to resolve the issue. “Over the two years since we took office, my government has engaged and advocated including at leader-level to resolve this. We have used all appropriate channels,” Albanese said.

Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, expressed gratitude to Albanese for his principled leadership and diplomacy, which made the outcome possible. However, it remains unclear what Assange’s future plans are after his arrival in Canberra. His wife, Stella Assange, has been in Australia awaiting his release.

Assange’s father, John Shipton, hoped his son could enjoy the “great beauty of ordinary life” and spend quality time with his family. Another lawyer, Barry Pollack, stated that Assange would likely continue advocating for freedom of speech and government transparency.

The plea deal required Assange to admit guilt to a single felony count, permitting his return to Australia without serving time in an American prison. The judge sentenced him to the five years already spent behind bars in the UK, where he had fought extradition to the US on charges that could have led to a lengthy prison sentence.

The criminal case, initiated by the Trump administration, focused on Assange’s role in publishing classified military and diplomatic documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prosecutors accused Assange of conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain and publish the documents, which allegedly compromised national security and endangered human sources.

Assange’s activities garnered significant support from press freedom advocates who argued that his actions shed light on military misconduct and warned against the chilling effect on journalism.

The plea deal, revealed in a Justice Department letter, marks the end of a complex legal saga involving Assange, who had spent seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London before being arrested in 2019. His legal troubles began in 2010 when a Swedish prosecutor issued an arrest warrant based on allegations of rape and molestation, which Assange has denied and which were later dropped.

Assange’s return to Australia contradicts earlier warnings from his supporters about harsh treatment in the US criminal justice system. Last month, he won the right to appeal an extradition order after his lawyers argued that US assurances of free speech protections were inadequate.

Stella Assange expressed relief and elation at the news, describing the past 72 hours as uncertain regarding the deal’s finalization. Assange was granted bail during a secret hearing last week, leading to his release from a London prison where he had been held for the past five years.

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