On Wednesday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was welcomed back to Australia following pleading guilty to violating U.S. espionage law.
Assange arrived in Canberra after 7:30 pm on a private jet, greeting the media, followed by kissing his wife, Stella. This arrival marks Assange’s freedom from a 14-year legal battle. Shortly before entering the terminal building, Assange also hugged his father. Since being released, Assange has not spoken publicly and also missed a Wikileaks press conference held in Canberra. According to his wife, Stella, Julian needs time to adjust “Julian needs time to recover, time to get used to freedom… I want Julian to have that space to rediscover that freedom”. Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister also stated that he spoke to Assange after the plane landed, adding, “The Australian government stands up for Australian citizens, that’s what we do”. Assange’s arrival in Australia concludes his stint of over five years in a British high-security jail and another seven in asylum at the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Assange spent that time battling sexual assault allegations in Sweden resulting in possible extradition, as well as 18 criminal charges in the U.S.
Read more:
https://www.reuters.com/world/wikileaks-assange-arrives-mariana-islands-us-plea-deal-2024-06-25/
