CANBERRA: Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has returned to Australia as a free man after being released by a United States court in Saipan as part of a plea deal.
Assange’s plane touched down in Canberra on Wednesday, shortly after the 52-year-old pleaded guilty in a Saipan court to a charge of espionage, relating to the acquisition and publication of US military secrets. District Judge Ramona Manglona in the US Pacific territory courtroom sentenced Assange to five years and two months, equivalent to the time he spent in UK prison contesting extradition to the US, declaring him free to depart.
“In making this pronouncement, it appears you will walk out of this courtroom a free man,” the judge remarked on Wednesday. Assange had earlier flown to Saipan from the UK on a private aircraft, accompanied by his legal team and Australia’s former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, now ambassador to the US.
He responded to the judge’s inquiries and heard details of the agreement discussed. In his address to the court, Assange criticized the Espionage Act under which he was charged, asserting it conflicted with First Amendment rights, but acknowledged the potential unlawfulness of soliciting classified information for publication.
Under the terms of his plea, Assange must destroy any information received by WikiLeaks. Prosecutors cited Saipan as the venue due to Assange’s reluctance to travel to the mainland US and its proximity to his Australian residence.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia hailed the court proceedings as a “positive development,” stating that all diplomatic avenues were pursued to secure Assange’s release.
“Regardless of personal opinions about Mr Assange, his case has endured for too long. There’s nothing to gain from his continued incarceration, and we seek his return to Australia,” Albanese remarked to journalists in Canberra.
Following the judge’s decision, a spokesperson for Assange confirmed he would not be making statements or taking questions. His attorney, Jennifer Robinson, expressed gratitude to Albanese for aiding Assange’s release, describing it as a “historic day.” Fidel Narvaez, a former Ecuadorean diplomat who granted Assange asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy in 2012, expressed immense joy at his release. “I am celebrating,” Narvaez exclaimed, highlighting Assange’s enduring persecution and international abandonment.
Narvaez suggested that Assange might not have accepted a plea deal had it been offered earlier, underscoring its potential deterrent effect on future truth-tellers. “Who would dare follow in Julian Assange and WikiLeaks’ footsteps, knowing the consequences of publishing the truth?” Narvaez pondered. “While it’s not a perfect outcome, Julian is free, and the world is undoubtedly better for it.”
Barry Pollack, another of Assange’s lawyers, condemned the treatment of his client as unprecedented. “The prosecution of Julian Assange is unprecedented,” Pollack emphasized. “In a century of the Espionage Act’s existence, it has never been used to prosecute a publisher or journalist like Mr Assange.”
Assange’s release and return to Australia seemingly conclude a tumultuous 14-year saga. He spent over five years in a high-security UK prison and seven years in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, fighting sexual misconduct allegations in Sweden (later dropped) and resisting US extradition on 18 criminal charges.
Supporters of Assange portray him as a victim, punished for exposing US military misconduct in Afghanistan and Iraq. Washington, however, contends that the leak endangered lives and national security.
