Julian Assange freed from prison, flown out of UK

London: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from prison and flown out of the UK under a plea deal with American authorities, marking the end of his decade-long battle against extradition to the United States on espionage charges. The 52-year-old Australian, previously held at Belmarsh high-security prison in London since 2019, was taken into custody from the Ecuadorian Embassy where he had sought asylum.

Assange’s release was announced overnight on Monday. He will return to Australia, confirmed by UK media reports citing a letter from the US Justice Department. Assange faced charges of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information. In exchange for pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy, Assange will be sentenced to time served, totalling 62 months, which includes his time in a British prison.

Following formal acceptance of his plea by a judge, Assange will be free to return to Australia, where his wife and children have already flown. WikiLeaks announced his departure from Belmarsh after being granted bail by the High Court, and he was seen at Stansted Airport boarding a plane out of the UK.

“After more than five years in a 2x3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife, Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars,” WikiLeaks stated.

Stella Assange shared a video montage of her husband in a car and boarding a plane on social media, expressing profound gratitude to supporters: “Julian is free!!!! Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU - yes YOU, who have all mobilized for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU,” she said.

She also posted an image on social media of Assange video-calling her from Stansted Airport on Monday. Assange’s plea and sentencing are scheduled for Tuesday evening UK time in Saipan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands, due to his opposition to travelling to the continental US and the court’s proximity to Australia.

Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, told ‘Sky News’ that the WikiLeaks founder is “overwhelmed to be out of prison,” looking forward to spending time with his family and experiencing freedom.

The Australian government continues to provide consular assistance to Assange. A spokesperson reiterated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s stance that Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration.

Toward the end of his legal battles, two High Court judges ruled that Assange could appeal his extradition order. They agreed with his legal team on assurances from the US administration that Assange would be protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, safeguarding freedom of speech, and that the death penalty would not be imposed. This victory paved the way for negotiations for his release.

A plane carrying Assange departed Bangkok after refuelling on Tuesday, heading to Saipan, where he will enter a plea deal with the US government. The chartered flight from London, confirmed by Stella Assange, left Don Mueang International Airport according to the Flightradar24 tracking app. Assange is expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information.

British judicial officials confirmed Assange was granted bail at a secret hearing last week.

“Thirteen-and-a-half years and two extradition requests after he was first arrested, Julian Assange left the UK yesterday, following a bail hearing last Thursday, held in private at his request,” said Stephen Parkinson, the chief prosecutor for England and Wales.

The plea deal concludes a high-profile case of international intrigue and resolves the US government’s pursuit of Assange, whose secret-sharing website made him a controversial figure among press freedom advocates. US prosecutors have claimed his actions broke the law and jeopardised national security.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, credited Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s growing involvement for the deal, highlighting the arduous battle for Assange’s freedom.

In a statement, Albanese reiterated that there was nothing to be gained from Assange’s continued incarceration and expressed a desire to bring him home to Australia.

Assange’s plea agreement means he will admit guilt while being spared additional prison time. He is expected to be sentenced to the five years he has already served in the British prison, thus ending ongoing legal actions including extradition proceedings.

Assange’s case has garnered support from press freedom advocates worldwide for his role in exposing military wrongdoing, although his reputation was also marred by rape allegations, which he has denied.

The Justice Department’s 2019 indictment accused Assange of aiding Chelsea Manning in stealing and publishing sensitive US government documents, which prosecutors claimed jeopardised national security. The case has been a focal point of debate about press freedom and government transparency.

Following his plea and sentencing in Saipan, Assange will be free to return to Australia, where he will likely face travel restrictions due to his serious criminal conviction. It is possible that he may be pardoned by the US President in the future.

Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 and was granted political asylum after courts in England ruled he should be extradited to Sweden as part of a rape investigation in the Scandinavian country. He was arrested by British police after Ecuador’s government withdrew his asylum status in 2019 and then jailed for skipping bail when he first took shelter inside the

Although Sweden eventually dropped its sex crimes investigation because so much time had elapsed, Assange had remained in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison during the extradition battle with the US.