Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of rape. Reader discretion is advised.
In 2006, publisher-turned-activist Julian Assange formed WikiLeaks to increase global transparency. The activist created the website to publish documents and several confidential reports about war, corruption, and more. Four years later, WikiLeaks shared a video from a US military helicopter that killed civilians in Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq. Reports indicate that the website published almost half a million documents related to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this event triggered a 14-year-long legal battle for Assange.
The publication of the aforementioned documents wreaked havoc in the US, and Assange became a hero. However, the activist found himself in legal trouble when Sweden issued an arrest warrant against him. Per the Associated Press, the Swedish authorities stated that they issued the warrant in connection to a sexual assault investigation. Correspondingly, Assange denied the allegations. In September 2010, the Swedish authorities reopened the investigation, and Julian Assange left the country for the UK. However, he couldn’t stay long in the UK as a district court announced that Assange should be extradited to Sweden.
As a result, Julian Assange went to the Ecuadorian Embassy to seek asylum. The New York Times reported that Ecuador granted him asylum, and he started living inside the embassy, claiming that the police would arrest him as soon as he stepped outside the building. Seven years later, in April 2019, London police arrested Assange after Ecuador revoked his asylum status. The court subsequently sent him to 50 weeks in prison. Meanwhile, the US government indicted the activist on 18 charges over the publication of classified documents.
After a long legal battle, in June 2024, the Associated Press reported that Assange took a plea deal in the espionage case.
Who is Julian Assange & what did he do?
According to the plea deal, Julian Assange will be able to walk free if he pleads guilty to an Espionage Act charge of “conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information.” Citing the court documents, CBS News reported that Assange will appear in a US courtroom in the Northern Mariana Islands in the coming days. Meanwhile, according to the plea deal, the activist won’t spend time in US custody.
Is Julian Assange free now?
WikiLeaks announced on social media that a UK court granted bail to Assange after the plea deal. His wife, Stella Assange, posted a video of Assange reaching the airport and boarding the plane. She captioned the video, “Julian is free!!!! Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilized for years and years to make this come true.”
On the other hand, WikiLeaks shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Assange left the Belmarsh prison after spending 1901 days there. The organization wrote, “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.” The organizations also thanked everyone who supported Assange in his endeavors. Moreover, they revealed that they haven’t “formally finalized” the deal yet.
The organization noted, “This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organizers, press freedom campaigners, legislators, and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalized. We will provide more information as soon as possible.”
Per WikiLeaks, Assange’s plane made a pit stop in Hong Kong before entering US airspace. According to the latest update, his aircraft has taken off from Bangkok and is heading toward US airspace and Saipan Island.
Many documentaries on Julian Assange are available on streaming platforms for viewers to learn more about the activist.
