Julian Assange's Long-Awaited Freedom
Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks, has finally tasted freedom after years of legal battles and incarceration. Arriving in a suit and tie, albeit somewhat disheveled, Assange appeared early on Wednesday in the district court of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Judge Ramona Manglona supervised the agreement reached with the United States Department of Justice. Assange pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act, expecting a sentence already served of five years in prison. This marks the end of a 12-year saga, including seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and another five in a British maximum security prison.
The Journey to Saipan
Assange's journey to freedom began from a British maximum security prison. From there, he boarded a private plane at Stansted Airport in London, making a technical stop in Bangkok, Thailand, before landing in Saipan. He was accompanied by Australia's ambassador to the United States, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The Australian Government has long advocated for Assange's freedom. Upon arrival, Assange, surrounded by great expectation, did not make any statements. He was seen with a permanent half-smile as he passed security checks and headed to the courtroom. The hearing, not broadcasted and with limited media access, saw more than fifty people present.
Legal Proceedings and Plea Agreement
In a picturesque courthouse near the beach, Assange's case was presented due to its proximity to his native Australia. Assange refused to appear before a continental U.S. court, leading to this unique arrangement. After taking the oath, Assange confirmed he was not coerced into the agreement, signed at Stansted Airport. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally obtain and disseminate classified information related to U.S. national defense, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. However, prosecutors accepted that his sentence would be time already served. Assange, who defines himself as a journalist, argued that his actions should be protected by the First Amendment but admitted the difficulty of winning his case at trial.
The Impact and Future
The plea agreement, which still requires judicial validation, marks the end of a legal saga that began with the leak of over 250,000 classified documents in 2010. Assange faced 18 charges under the Espionage Act, with a potential 175-year sentence. The agreement allows him to return to Australia, reuniting with his wife, Stella Assange, and their children. The case has drawn significant international attention, highlighting issues of press freedom and government transparency. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that Assange's prolonged detention served no further purpose, reflecting a sentiment shared by many of Assange's supporters worldwide.
- The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, left the high-security prison near London on Monday, where he had been incarcerated since 2019. After a technical stop in Bangkok, he headed to the Marianas. It is in this American territory in the Pacific that he appeared before the federal court, thanks to a guilty plea agreement made with the American authorities.
- The United States justice system accused him of having made public, from 2010, more than 700,000 confidential documents on American military and diplomatic activities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Targeted by 18 charges, Julian Assange, presented as a champion of freedom of information after the revelations, theoretically faced up to 175 years in prison under the Espionage Act.
- The agreement came as British justice was due to examine, on July 9 and 10, an appeal by Julian Assange against his extradition to the United States, approved by the United Kingdom government in June 2022. It would have taken months of negotiations, says the New York Times.
- According to court documents made public, the 52-year-old Australian will plead guilty to the sole charge of 'conspiracy to obtain and disclose information relating to national defense' during a hearing held on Wednesday. For this, he should be sentenced to 62 months in prison, or a little over five years, compared to the maximum 10 years incurred for this charge. A sentence already served in pre-trial detention in London, which would allow him to return free to his native Australia.
- The American soldier Chelsea Manning, at the origin of this massive leak, was sentenced in August 2013 to 35 years in prison by a court martial but was released after seven years after commutation of her sentence by President Barack Obama.
- The extradition request should also be abandoned. It is to avoid going to the American continent and to be close to his native Australia that Julian Assange appeared before a federal court in the Mariana Islands.
