Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, who was charged with leaking classified US government documents, was released in a plea deal and arrived in his native Australia on the evening of the 26th.

Upon arriving at the airport in Australia’s capital, Canberra, Assange raised his right hand high in the air in celebration.

Assange left the UK, where he had been imprisoned, and appeared in court on the morning of the 26th on the US territory of Saipan. The judge approved the plea bargain, and Assange was released from his nearly 12 years of exile and imprisonment and returned to his native Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Albanese said at a press conference that he had spoken directly to Assange after he returned to Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Albanese
“I am pleased that this matter has been resolved. I have spoken to Mr Assange personally this evening and welcomed him back home.”

Assange published a series of classified US military documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through WikiLeaks, which he founded in 2010. He was arrested by British police in a separate case and spent about seven years holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 while out on bail.

He was subsequently indicted by US authorities on charges including violating the Espionage Act and imprisoned in Britain.

Regarding Assange’s freedom and return to Australia, US National Security Advisor Kirby emphasized on the 26th, “The White House has nothing to do with this. This is the Department of Justice’s responsibility.”

Source: Japanese