Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed pleasure as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrived in Australia and said that his arrival home ends a long-running legal process. Assange is back to his home as a free man for the first time in 12 years, after a United States judge signed off on his unexpected plea deal on June 26, reported media.
“Earlier tonight I was pleased to speak with Julian Assange to welcome him home to his family in Australia,” the Australian PM said in a post on X. “His arrival home ends a long-running legal process,” he added. Australian PM further appreciated the US and the UK for their efforts in making this possible, reiterating that his case has been dragged for too long.
Earlier tonight I was pleased to speak with Julian Assange to welcome him home to his family in Australia. pic.twitter.com/r0Yl3iJtdb
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) June 26, 2024
“I want to express my appreciation to the United States and the United Kingdom for their efforts in making this possible. As Prime Minister, I have been clear – regardless of what you think of his activities, Mr Assange’s case had dragged on for too long,” he posted.
He further emphasised that this is the culmination of careful, patient and determined work.
“I have clearly and consistently – at every opportunity and at every level – advocated for Mr Assange’s case to be concluded. This is the culmination of careful, patient and determined work. It is another example of why mature, calibrated and consistent engagement is the best way to get results in Australia’s national interest,” PM Albanese added.
As he landed in Australia, cheers erupted from his supporters gathered at Canberra Airport in the Australian capital.
Assange waved to the crowds as he walked across the tarmac. As he approached the terminal, his wife Stella emerged with a broad smile on her face and hugged him, according to media.
Earlier on June 26, Assange walked out of the courtroom in Saipan, on the Northern Mariana Islands, a remote US Pacific territory, raising one hand to a gaggle of the world’s press before departing for the airport for Australia.
Speaking outside the court, Assange’s US lawyer Barry Pollack said he had “suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech and freedom of the press.”
“The prosecution of Julian Assange is unprecedented in the 100 years of the Espionage Act,” Pollack said.
“Mr Assange revealed truthful, newsworthy information … We firmly believe that Mr Assange never should have been charged under the Espionage Act and engaged in (an) exercise that journalists engage in every day,” Pollack added.
The 52-year-old Australian was released from a high-security prison in London on Monday afternoon and had already boarded a private jet to leave the UK before the world even knew of his agreement with the US government.
He appeared in a US courtroom on the Northern Mariana Islands to formalise the agreement and officially pleaded guilty to conspiring unlawfully to obtain and disseminate classified information over his alleged role in one of the largest breaches of classified material in US military history.
“I am, in fact, guilty of the charge,” Assange told the court in Saipan.
Assange – who has long held a deep mistrust of the US, even going so far as accusing it of allegedly plotting his assassination – was hesitant about stepping foot in the continental US, and so prosecutors asked for all proceedings to take place in a day in a US federal court based in Saipan, the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, located around 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) west of Hawaii.
Justice Department prosecutors said the court on the islands made logistical sense as it is closer to Australia, where Assange will ultimately travel following the conclusion of the legal process, as reported by CNN.
(with inputs from ANI)
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