WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from a British high-security prison after five years, following a plea deal with US authorities. He is set to travel to the Northern Mariana Islands to face charges related to his publication of classified US documents.
Assange, 52, left London on a chartered flight, making a scheduled refuelling stop in Bangkok. He is expected to arrive in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, for a court hearing on Wednesday morning. There, he will plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate national defence information, according to court documents.
His release comes ahead of a British court appearance where he was set to appeal an extradition ruling to the United States. Assange has been detained in Belmarsh prison since April 2019, after being forcibly removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had sought asylum for seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden.
Assange’s wife, Stella, expressed relief and gratitude towards the supporters who advocated for his release. “I’m just elated. Frankly, it’s just incredible,” she said on BBC radio. She encouraged the public to monitor his flight using the “AssangeJet” hashtag on social media, emphasising the importance of vigilance during his journey.
The Northern Mariana Islands court was chosen for the plea deal due to its proximity to Assange’s native Australia and his reluctance to be extradited to the continental United States. Assange is expected to be sentenced to five years and two months in prison, with credit for time already served.
The US authorities had charged Assange under the Espionage Act for his role in releasing classified documents related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through WikiLeaks in 2010. His actions were celebrated by free speech advocates but condemned by those who argued they jeopardised national security.
The United Nations has welcomed Assange’s release, noting the human rights concerns surrounding his detention. “We welcome the release of Julian Assange from detention in the UK,” said UN rights office spokeswoman Liz Throssell.
Assange’s mother, Christine Assange, also expressed her relief, stating she was “grateful that my son’s ordeal is finally coming to an end.” Former US Vice President Mike Pence criticised the plea deal, calling it a “miscarriage of justice” and an insult to US military personnel.
US President Joe Biden had faced growing pressure to end the prosecution of Assange, with the Australian government formally requesting the charges be dropped earlier this year. The plea deal ends a prolonged legal battle that has seen Assange imprisoned and under various forms of detention since 2012.
