At last, Julian Assange is free. Having been incarcerated for revealing the reality of US imperialism and their despair over having their murderous behaviour exposed, Julian is again a free man.
NEVER FORGET WHY THEY PUT JULIAN ASSANGE IN JAIL!
— Rev Laskaris (@REVMAXXING) June 25, 2024
BECAUSE HE EXPOSED THIS! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/cftA9K10or
The US authorities have agreed to drop their demand for Julian Assange’s extradition from the UK after reaching a plea deal with the WikiLeaks founder. In exchange for pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, Assange will be sentenced to time served—62 months—the duration he has already spent in a British prison, according to court documents. Once a judge accepts the guilty plea, the 52-year-old will be free to return to Australia, his country of birth.
American prosecutors had accused Assange of endangering lives by aiding former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in stealing diplomatic cables and military files, which WikiLeaks published online in 2010. Assange has been embroiled in a legal battle in the UK over his extradition, which included seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 before his detention in Belmarsh prison in May 2019.
Julian’s Timeline
2006
Julian Assange founded WikiLeaks, a website aimed at publishing classified or sensitive information from anonymous sources.
5 April 2010
WikiLeaks releases a leaked video from a US helicopter, allegedly showing an air strike that killed civilians in Baghdad, including two Reuters journalists.
25 July 2010
WikiLeaks publishes over 91,000 documents, primarily secret US military reports about the Afghanistan war.
August 2010
An arrest warrant is issued in Sweden over separate allegations of rape and molestation following Assange’s visit. He is questioned in Stockholm and denies the claims.
October 2010
WikiLeaks releases 400,000 classified military files chronicling the Iraq war. The following month, it published thousands of US diplomatic cables, including candid views of foreign leaders and blunt assessments of security threats.
18 November 2010
Interpol issues an international arrest warrant after a Swedish court approves a request to detain Assange on suspicion of rape, sexual molestation, and unlawful coercion.
December 2010
Assange is remanded in custody after an extradition hearing in London. He later gets bail but is kept behind bars when Swedish authorities challenge the decision. Conditional bail is reinstated at the High Court when supporters offer up £240,000.
February 2011
The extradition request from Sweden is granted, as a UK judge rules it would not breach Assange’s human rights. Assange vows to fight the ruling. In November, he loses a High Court appeal against his extradition.
14 June 2012
The UK’s Supreme Court rejects Assange’s final appeal.
19 June 2012
Assange enters the Ecuadorian Embassy in Knightsbridge, central London, seeking political asylum, fearing extradition to the US and potential decades-long imprisonment.
16 August 2012
Ecuador grants Assange’s asylum request. As long as he remains in the embassy, police cannot arrest him due to diplomatic immunity rules. The Metropolitan Police guard the building in case he attempts to flee to Ecuador.
December 2014
Notable figures, including American linguist Noam Chomsky and actor John Cusack, visit Assange at the embassy. By this point, Assange’s team has lost an appeal in Sweden over the arrest warrant. Other famous visitors include Pamela Anderson, Lady Gaga, Eric Cantona, and civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson. Nigel Farage is also seen leaving the embassy, but he refuses to confirm if he met Assange.
13 August 2015
The inquiry into sexual molestation and unlawful coercion allegations is dropped after the legal time limit passes. However, the more serious rape allegation remains active.
17 January 2017
Outgoing US President Barack Obama decides to free WikiLeaks’ key whistleblower, Chelsea Manning.
19 May 2017
Sweden’s prosecutor drops the rape case against Assange. Assange calls the decision an “important victory” while speaking from the Ecuadorian embassy.
11 April 2019
Assange is arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy after the Ecuadorian ambassador invites British police inside.
1 May 2019
Judge Deborah Taylor sentences Assange to 50 weeks in jail for breaching bail by seeking asylum in the embassy. At the hearing, Assange apologises “unreservedly” to anyone who feels he “disrespected them” by the way he “pursued” his case.
13 May 2019
Swedish prosecutors announce the reopening of the 2010 rape investigation against Assange.
11 June 2019
The US Justice Department formally requests that Britain extradite Assange to face charges of conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law.
19 November 2019
Prosecutors in Sweden drop their case completely, citing a lack of evidence and the significant time elapsed since the alleged offences.
13 January 2020
Assange appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, backed by dozens of supporters, including rapper MIA.
12 April 2020
It is revealed that Assange secretly fathered two children while living in the Ecuadorian embassy. His partner, Stella Moris, issues a plea for his release, fearing for his health.
24 June 2020
The US Department of Justice issues an updated 18-count indictment over Assange’s alleged role in “one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.”
4 January 2021
A British judge rules that Assange should not be extradited to the US due to fears he might take his own life in prison. The US government says it will appeal the decision, adding that he could serve his jail time in Australia.
10 December 2021
The US government wins its High Court bid to overturn the judge’s decision not to extradite Assange.
23 March 2022
Assange marries his fiancée, Stella Moris, at Belmarsh prison. She wears a dress designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.
17 June 2022
The UK government approves Assange’s extradition to the US, where he faces espionage charges. Then Home Secretary Priti Patel signs the extradition order. Assange is given 14 days to appeal the decision.
June 2023
A judge at London’s High Court rules that Assange has no legal grounds to appeal.
20 February 2024
Assange launches what his supporters say will be his final attempt to prevent extradition.
26 March 2024
The extradition is put on hold when the court requires the US to provide assurances that Assange will not face a potential death penalty.
10 April 2024
US President Joe Biden says the US is “considering” dropping its prosecution of Assange following a request from Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supports the motion for Assange’s return to Australia.
20 May 2024
The High Court gives Assange permission to launch a full appeal against his extradition on the grounds that, as a foreign national on trial, he might not be able to rely on the First Amendment right to free speech.
24 June 2024
The US Justice Department and Assange reveal a deal in which he will plead guilty to one criminal count and be sentenced to time served.
“Julian is Free!”
In a post on X, WikiLeaks announced that Assange left Belmarsh on Monday morning after being granted bail by the High Court. By the afternoon, he was at Stansted Airport, boarding a plane to leave the UK. “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 organisation stated.
Mrs Assange also took to social media, sharing a video montage of her husband in a car and then boarding a plane. She wrote: “Julian is free!!!! Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU—yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.”
She also posted an image on X of her husband video-calling her from Stansted airport on Monday. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday morning, she mentioned that their children still haven’t been told about their father’s release. Describing the rush to arrange for her family to fly to Sydney to meet Assange, Mrs Assange said: “All I told them was that there was a big surprise on the morning that we left. I told them we were heading to the airport.” She confirmed the children would be given the news before their first encounter with Assange outside Belmarsh prison.
Julian Assange’s flight VJ199 landed in Bangkok and will soon take off again and fly into US airspace where he will appear before a US judge. Please follow #AssangeJet, we need all eyes on his flight in case something goes wrong.https://t.co/N56dysEr0h https://t.co/Uvnmz9f1BI
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) June 25, 2024
WikiLeaks provided updates on Assange’s journey on X, posting a picture of him on a jet approaching Bangkok for a stopover. Assange’s plea and sentencing are scheduled for Wednesday morning local time (Tuesday evening UK time) on Saipan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands. The hearing is taking place in US Commonwealth territory because of Assange’s opposition to travelling to one of the 50 US states and the court’s proximity to Australia.
Family and Supporters React
Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton said this morning that the WikiLeaks founder is “overwhelmed to be out of prison”. Mr Shipton added: “He’s been on a plane for a very long time now… I’ve been speaking to him this week and just going through all the details with him. He’s been very anxious, very excited, and he’s looking forward to spending time with his family and being free, being able to have the sun shining on his face, see the birds, go for a swim in the ocean back in Australia. He’s very much looking forward to that.”
Craig Murray, a friend of Assange, described the news as “absolutely wonderful”. He added: “The whole family is totally elated that we have finally got an end to this terrible saga.” Mr Murray acknowledged the ordeal had been “very taxing” on Assange, with his imprisonment taking a toll on both his physical and mental health. He added: “We are lucky that he is a very resilient man and he will recover and we will get our Julian fully back.”
More Than a Decade-Long Fight
Assange has been fighting extradition to the US for more than a decade. In a January 2021 ruling, then district judge Vanessa Baraitser stated he should not be sent to the US, citing a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide, while ruling against him on all other issues. Later that year, US authorities won a High Court bid to overturn this block, paving the way for Assange’s extradition. In June 2022, the UK government approved Assange’s extradition to the US, with then Home Secretary Priti Patel signing the extradition order.
In February of this year, Assange made a final attempt under UK law to avoid being sent to the US. In March, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson dismissed most of Assange’s legal arguments but stated that unless assurances were given by the US, he could appeal on three grounds. These assurances were that Assange would be protected by and allowed to rely on the First Amendment—which protects freedom of speech in the US—that he would not be “prejudiced at trial” due to his nationality, and that the death penalty would not be imposed. Three months later, in May, two High Court judges ruled that he would be allowed to appeal against extradition, would not face the death penalty, and could rely on the First Amendment if he faced trial for spying.
The Australian government has continued to provide consular assistance to Assange. A spokesperson stated: “Prime Minister Albanese has been clear—Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long, and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration.”
The fight for freedom continues, though, for those who seek to expose the dirty secrets of the imperialist warmongers. The Espionage Act prevents the truth from being exposed, and until we are able to know exactly what governments and corporations are doing in our name, there is no democracy. All we have is a plutocratic sham.
Julian Assange: Exposing the Lies
For those who prefer the truth:
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