Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, received a jubilant welcome upon his return to Australia on Wednesday, marking the end of years of legal turmoil. Accompanied by his wife Stella and father John Shipton, Assange disembarked from a private jet at Canberra airport. In a heartfelt moment captured on video, he kissed his wife passionately and embraced his father before proceeding with his legal team into the terminal.
Earlier in Saipan, Julian Assange exited a US District Court as a free man after pleading guilty to a single count of violating US espionage law. Under the agreement, Assange must destroy certain WikiLeaks-provided information and is anticipated to face a sentence of five years and two months, adjusted for time served in a British prison during his extradition battle.
Assange’s legal saga spans more than a decade, involving over five years in a high-security UK jail and seven years seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. His extradition was sought both by Sweden over sexual assault allegations and the US for 18 criminal charges related to WikiLeaks 2010 release of classified US military documents.
During proceedings in Saipan, Assange admitted to conspiring to obtain and disclose classified national defense documents, asserting his actions were protected by the US Constitution’s First Amendment, safeguarding free speech.
Jennifer Robinson, Assange’s lawyer in the UK and Australia, expressed gratitude to the Australian government for facilitating his release.
Assange’s return to Australia marks a significant moment in his ongoing legal and personal odyssey, stirring both support and controversy surrounding his journalistic and legal battles.