June 25, 2024
WikiLeaks has released its first footage showing Julian Assange as a free man, emerging from Belmarsh prison looking triumphant and joyous, and soon after boarding a plane to his native Australia.
Assange left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of June 24, after having spent 1,901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport in the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.
“This is a historic moment,” said Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief. “Julian’s freedom is the result of a global campaign that brought together grass-roots organizers, press freedom campaigners, legislators, and leaders from across the political spectrum, including the United Nations.”
The concerted efforts of this broad coalition created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, culminating in a deal that has not yet been formally finalized. Assange allegedly pleaded guilty to leaking US national security secrets under a deal with President Biden’s Department of Justice, ending a nearly 15-year legal battle.
After more than five years in a 2×3 meter cell, isolated 23 hours a day, Assange will soon reunite with his wife, Stella Assange, and their children. “Our children have only known their father from behind bars,” Stella said. “Now, we can finally be together as a family.”
WikiLeaks has published groundbreaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable. “Julian paid a severe price for upholding the principles of transparency and the public’s right to know,” Hrafnsson added.
Having spent more than a decade avoiding extradition to the US by remaining in London, primarily within the Ecuadorian Embassy, and then in prison, Assange, 52, is expected to be sentenced to time served.
This avoids a potentially lengthy sentence in an American prison. “Julian’s ordeal has been a long and arduous journey,” said Jennifer Robinson, Assange’s lawyer. “His release today marks a significant victory for press freedom.”
