WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from jail in Britain on Monday (June 24) after agreeing to a deal with United States authorities.
The 52-year-old Australian editor and publisher was found guilty the following day of a single charge of espionage as part of this agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.
Assange had been fighting extradition to the U.S., where he was accused of disclosing military secrets.
After the verdict, Assange's lawyer, Barry Pollack, said, "WikiLeaks' work will continue, and Mr. Assange, I have no doubt, will remain a force for freedom of speech and transparency in government. He is a powerful voice that cannot and should not be silenced."
It appears that a combination of diplomacy, politics, and law allowed Assange to become a "free man" and return to Australia, ending a 14-year legal odyssey that could have resulted in decades of imprisonment in the United States.
Experts believe the deal with U.S. authorities was reached after intense diplomatic efforts and pressure from Australia.
Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the case had "dragged on too long."
On Tuesday (June 25), he expressed his desire for Assange to return to Australia as soon as possible.
Australian politicians have compared Assange's detention to that of other Australian nationals held as political prisoners in Iran and China.
Stella Assange, Julian Assange’s wife, suggested that a "breakthrough" was finally reached after the UK High Court began considering her husband's constitutional protections under freedom of the press.
WikiLeaks said in a statement on X: “After more than five years in a 2×3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars.”
WikiLeaks, a whistleblowing platform founded by Julian Assange in 2006, claims to have published more than 10 million documents on various topics. It is currently led by Icelandic journalist Kristinn Hrafnsson.
The platform has published many confidential or restricted official reports related to war, spying, and corruption.
In 2010, it released a video from a U.S. military helicopter showing civilians being killed in Baghdad.
WikiLeaks also published thousands of confidential documents supplied by former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, which suggested that the U.S. military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan.
The release of Julian Assange underscores the intricate interplay of diplomacy, politics, and legal strategies that ultimately secured his freedom.
This resolution not only brings an end to a protracted legal saga but also reaffirms the enduring global debates surrounding freedom of the press and governmental transparency.
BDST: 1410 HRS, JUNE 26, 2024
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