Julian Assange, a prominent whistleblower on the activities of US intelligence agencies and diplomats, a WikiLeaks founder, has been released from a British prison, the company said on social media X.
“Julian Assange is free,” WikiLeaks declared on the social media platform X, confirming that he left Belmarsh Monday “after having spent 1,901 days there,” locked in a small cell for 23 hours a day.
The High Court of Justice in London has released Assange on bail. The company also said:
“In the afternoon he was released at Stansted airport, where he boarded a plane and flew out of the UK.”
WikiLeaks confirmed that lengthy negotiations with the US Justice Department had resulted in a deal that had not yet been “formally finalised.” It added:
“As he returns to Australia, we thank everyone who stood by us, fought for us and remained fully committed in the fight for his freedom.”
Plea deal features
Earlier, a number of media outlets reported that the WikiLeaks founder had agreed to a plea bargain with US President Joe Biden’s administration that would allow him to avoid imprisonment in the US.
The Hill specifies that Assange will plead guilty as part of the deal to conspiring to illegally obtain and disseminate national defence information.
Under the terms of the new agreement, Justice Department prosecutors will seek a 62-month prison sentence, equal to the time Assange served in a maximum-security prison in London. The plea bargain must be approved by a federal judge, media outlets stressed.
The Associated Press reports that Assange will appear in federal court on the morning of Wednesday, on Saipan, the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Assange has been holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London since 2012, hiding from prosecution by Sweden, where he was accused of rape. In April 2019, Ecuador revoked Assange’s right to political asylum, after which he was arrested by British police and has been in a London prison ever since.
Assange is charged in the US with offences related to the largest case of disclosure of classified information in American history. He reportedly faces up to 175 years in prison on the combined charges.
The world backs Assange
Assange’s release sparked a wave of excitement on social media. Politicians across Europe are expressing support for the WikiLeaks founder.
French left-wing spokesman Jean-Luc Mélenchon wrote on X:
“Assange is finally free! At last! At last! So many years of life shattered! Assange is finally free again. His picture in my office has kept me going so many times. Assange is free. We can all be free.”
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), commented on Assange’s release on X:
“Julian Assange’s release proves that we must never give up. Finally some good news in this cruel world!”
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis also joined in the encouraging comments:
“Rejoice! Julian is free. Fighting for what is right against the worst odds is never futile. This is the moment to redouble our efforts to free every political prisoner, everywhere.”
