Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks, has been released from Belmarsh Prison after reaching a plea deal with the United States. This development has sparked a fresh political row, as reactions to his release vary widely among Australian politicians and the international community.
Assange, 52, was driven from the high-security London prison to Stansted Airport, where he boarded a private jet to Bangkok, Thailand. From there, he will continue his journey to the Northern Mariana Islands, a US-controlled territory in the South Pacific. It is here that he is expected to plead guilty to a single espionage charge, a move that will enable him to return to his native Australia as a free man.
The plea deal has reportedly recommended a prison sentence of 62 months, but Assange will not serve any additional time in a US prison due to the five years he has already spent incarcerated in the UK. His wife, Stella Assange, has expressed a mix of emotions and revealed that they are seeking a pardon following what she described as the 'outrageous' 14-year-long case.
The release has sharply divided opinions. Australia's former Foreign Secretary, Alexander Downer, criticized Assange, stating, "Just because he's Australian doesn't mean he's a good bloke." In contrast, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Assange’s return, expressing his anticipation to welcome him "home."
Assange has been a controversial figure since 2010 when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents regarding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, marking the largest security breaches of their kind in US military history. In 2012, facing allegations of sex crimes in Sweden and increasing legal pressure, Assange sought asylum in London's Ecuadorian embassy, where he remained for seven years under often bizarre circumstances. His asylum ended abruptly in 2019 when he was forcibly removed and subsequently imprisoned in Belmarsh as the US sought his extradition.
This legal battle came to an unexpected end yesterday, with WikiLeaks announcing his release on X, formerly known as Twitter, proclaiming: "Julian Assange is free!"
As Assange prepares to reunite with his family and return to Australia, the debate over his actions and their implications for global security and freedom of information continues to rage on.
Source: dailymail.com
English (United States) ·