WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony charges of violating the U.S. Espionage Act, in a plea deal with the final act taking place in a remote U.S. courtroom in the western Pacific island of Saipan. Secured his freedom.
He appeared in court wearing a black suit along with his lawyer Jennifer Robinson and Australian Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd. He briefly stood and made his plea more than a decade after obtaining and releasing classified military and diplomatic documents in 2010, bringing a twisted case involving several countries and the U.S. president closer to conclusion.
This was part of an agreement allowing him to return to his native Australia after more than five years in detention in the UK. Most of that time was spent fighting extradition to the United States.
His family and lawyers documented his journey from London to Bangkok and Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth, posting photos and videos online from the chartered jet. His lawyers said in his plea bargain that Assange refused to appear in court on the U.S. mainland and was not allowed to take commercial flights.
his wife Stella; Posted She made an urgent fundraising appeal on social media platform she also wrote on She said watching the video of Mr Assange entering court made her think about “how overloaded his senses must have been as he navigated the media scrum and four walls of high-security Belmarsh Prison after years of sensory deprivation.”
In court, Assange carefully answered questions from U.S. District Judge Ramona Manglona, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama. He defended his actions, describing himself as a journalist seeking information from sources, and said it was legal and constitutionally protected work.
“I believe the First Amendment and the Espionage Act are contradictory,” he said, “but I acknowledge that, given the circumstances, it would be difficult to win such a case.”
In Australia, relatives, supporters and politicians seemed eager to welcome Mr Asanji home.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lobbied heavily for his release. He agreed to a deal, noting that the case had “dragged on too long.” Many Australians seem to agree that Chelsea Manning, the man who passed vast amounts of documents to WikiLeaks, including hundreds of thousands of reports of military incidents in Afghanistan, has already served her sentence and been released.
Despite Australia’s own strict espionage laws and deep-rooted culture of secrecy — years in prison His leaks focused on the Australian government and his return won support from politicians on both the left and the right.
David Shoebridge, a Sydney Greens senator known for pushing for the legalization of cannabis, posted a video to
Barnaby Joyce, a conservative country councilor, was equally enthusiastic.
“I was very pleased to hear that an Australian citizen who had never committed a crime in Australia, was not a US citizen and had never been charged in the UK was coming home,” he said.
Assange’s embrace reflects many people’s cultural affinity for the underdog and a degree of ambivalence about America’s post-9/11 wars and the U.S. justice system.
“For liberal people across the spectrum, he is a hero because he exposed secrets that Washington wanted to keep hidden,” said Hugh White, a former Australian government defense official who is now a professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University.
He added: “Even conservative Australians are not as reluctant as our public rhetoric would suggest to oppose what Washington is doing.”
Assange’s father, John Shipton, said it was “very good news” for his son to return home after 15 years of some form of distancing and detention.
He was due to arrive in the Australian capital Canberra around midnight on Wednesday and then return to Melbourne, where his family settled decades ago.
