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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made his first comments about Assange's potential release, while speaking in parliament on Tuesday.
As we reported earlier, he gave us more details on the diplomatic assistance Assange is being given by Australian officials as he makes his journey to the Northern Mariana Islands for his court appearance tomorrow.
He also hinted at years of advocacy and high level diplomacy that have been taking place behind the scenes.
"We have engaged and advocated Australia's interest using all appropriate channels to support a positive outcome and I have done that since very early on in my prime ministership," he said.
"I will have more to say when these legal proceedings have concluded, which I hope will be very soon, and I will report as appropriate at that time."
Earlier this year, Australia's parliament passed a measure - backed by Albanese - calling for the return of Assange to Australia.
Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.
For years, the US government argued that the Wikileaks files - which disclosed information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endangered lives.
He was indicted in the US during the Trump administration and prosecutors originally wanted to try him on 18 counts.
Most of these were under the 1917 Espionage Act, which broadly criminalises the mishandling of government records "relating to the national defense" of the US.
Press freedom advocates have argued that the law is archaic and charging journalists under it sets a dangerous precedent.
Albanese has confirmed that Australia's UK High Commissioner Stephen Smith accompanied Julian Assange when he departed London on Monday.
He added that Australia's US Ambassador Kevin Rudd is also on hand and providing Assange with "important assistance" ahead of his court appearance in the Northern Mariana Islands tomorrow.
"I have been a very clear...that regardless of the views that people have about Julian Assange and his activities, the case has dragged on for too long," Albanese said.
"There is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him [brought] home to Australia."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is speaking now about Julian Assange.
He says he wants the Wikileaks founder brought back home to Australia as soon as possible.
Stay with us as we bring you more of his comments.
To his supporters, Julian Assange is a valiant campaigner for truth. To his critics, he is a publicity seeker who has endangered lives by putting a mass of sensitive information into the public domain.
Assange was born in Townsville in the Australian state of Queensland in 1971 and first became a father at 18.
In 1995, he was accused of dozens of hacking activities. Assange eventually pleaded guilty - only escaping a jail term on the condition that he not reoffend.
He also dabbled in the world of academia - co-writing a bestselling book on the emerging, subversive side of the internet, before studying physics and maths.
Assange set up Wikileaks in 2006 - making headlines around the world four years later with its high-profile disclosures of classified US documents.
Read more about the man behind the leaks here.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani tells the BBC he is "shocked" that a plea deal has been arranged for Julian Assange.
“These type of time-served deals don’t happen," Rahmani says, adding that credit was due to the Wikileaks founder and his lawyers for holding out for so long.
He adds that Assange being let off with what will be perceived as a slap on the wrist after such serious leaks of classified documents will likely be a "head-scratcher" for many Americans.
Since it launched in 2006, Wikileaks has been renowned for publishing thousands of classified documents covering everything from the film industry to national security and wars.
In 2010, it published a video from a US military helicopter showing the killing of civilians in Baghdad, Iraq.
It has also published hundreds of thousands of documents leaked by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was arrested, imprisoned and later freed.
Documents relating to the war in Afghanistan revealed how the US military had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents.
Further documents from the Iraq war revealed that 66,000 civilians had been killed - more than previously reported. The documents also showed that prisoners had been tortured by Iraqi forces.
You can read more about the disclosures here.
The US government has continued to argue that the leaks put people's lives at risk.
It’s 14:00 in Sydney and 05:00 in London.
Around the world, people are reacting to news that after a legal battle spanning years, Julian Assange appears to have struck a plea deal with the US government.
Here's what we know so far:
- According to court documents, Assange has agreed with US authorities to plead guilty to a single criminal charge in order to walk free
- That's expected to take place in a court in the Northern Mariana Islands - a US territory in the Pacific - on Wednesday morning
- Under the agreement, Assange will receive credit for time he's already spent behind bars in London's high security Belmarsh Prison (1,901 days in total) and is not expected to serve more time
- His team have confirmed he will return to his native home of Australia as soon as possible
- On Tuesday, WikiLeaks released a video of Assange boarding a plane at Stansted Airport, leaving the UK
- He is on his way to Bangkok where his plane will stop to refuel before flying to the Northern Mariana islands
- His wife Stella, Mother Christine and Father John have all released statements thanking his supporters
- The Australian government has remained tight lipped in its commentary, pointing to the fact that his legal proceeings are ongoing (at least for another day) but it has advocated for Assange's return for years
- We're yet to hear from President Biden, but we'll update you as soon as that changes.
A plane carrying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will stop in Bangkok's Don Mueang airport to refuel before flying to the Northern Mariana Islands, a senior Thai official told news agency AFP on Tuesday.
"The flight will land around 11:50 am (0450 GMT) from London. It is expected to refuel and resupply with water before departing at 9:00 pm for Saipan island," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Assange is due to appear in court in the Northern Mariana Islands - a US territory in the south Pacific - on Wednesday morning.
The Biden administration has been under huge diplomatic pressure to resolve the Assange saga. In April the President said he was considering a request made by the Australian government - a key security ally - to drop the extradition case and end his legal limbo.
That contrasted with the Justice Department’s position three years earlier where it had planned to pursue extradition. When Assange was arrested in 2019 after leaving the Ecuadorean embassy, many prominent Democrats including Hillary Clinton said he had to “answer for what he has done.”
On top of the charges he was facing, he had been accused by the former secretary of state and others of collaborating with the Russians and meddling in the 2016 US elections which he denied.
But many progressives within the Democratic Party viewed it differently, saying prosecuting the Australian would violate free speech laws he was entitled to as a journalist. This move by the US is in some ways a dramatic reversal of its initial position on the activist.
Reports that Assange is to be freed comes after he spent years under criminal suspicion and with his movements restricted in one way or another.
Here are some of the key moments. Our timeline begins around the same time that the most infamous Wikileaks disclosures were made.
- August 2010 - The Swedish Prosecutor's Office issues an arrest warrant for Assange on allegations of rape and one of molestation - claims he says are "without basis"
- December 2010 - Assange is arrested in London and bailed at the second attempt
- May 2012 - The UK's Supreme Court rules he should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning
- June 2012 - Assange enters the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Ecuador later grants him asylum
- April 2017 - America's attorney general says Assange's arrest is a "priority" for the US
- May 2017- Sweden announces that the rape investigation into Assange is being dropped after earlier dropping its other investigations
- November 2018 - It is revealed that the US Justice Department secretly filed charges against him
- April 2019 - Assange is arrested in the UK after the Ecuadorean government withdraws his asylum. He is found guilty of breaching the Bail Act and is sent to Belmarsh Prison
- May 2019 - Assange is sentenced to 50 weeks' imprisonment. He continues to be held after serving the sentence
- January 2021 - A judge rules that Assange cannot be extradited to the US
- December 2021 - The US government wins a bid to overturn the decision not to extradite Assange
- April 2022 - The UK home secretary signs Assange's extradition order after he is denied permission to appeal the December 2021 ruling. In July, he appeals the latest extradition order
- June 2023 - Assange loses his latest extradition appeal bid
- May 2024 - The UK High Court rules he can bring a new extradition appeal
- June 2024 - Assange is granted bail and released from prison following negotiations with US authorities over a plea deal
Although Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has remained tight-lipped over news about Julian Assange’s reported plea deal, people here are cautiously optimistic about his future.
Politicians here have been lobbying for a while to bring Julian Assange home. Albanese raised the issue on a visit to the White House last October, saying "enough was enough – it’s time it was brought to a conclusion"’
But it’s been far more than just the Prime Minister fighting for Assange – his cause has garnered political support across parties.
Earlier this year Australia’s federal MPs voted overwhelmingly for a motion urging the UK and the US to allow Assange to return home. There were 86 votes in favour of the motion and 42 against.
And a coalition of Australian MPs also visited Washington last year to lobby US politicians and representatives of the Department of Justice to try and resolve the issue.
This is an issue that has got politicians of all stripes talking.
As we mentioned earlier, WikiLeaks posted video that it said showed Assange leaving the UK by plane after having been held for a stunning 1,901 days in a high-security London prison.
In the footage - Assange appeared to be boarding a private jet at Stansted Airport with the markings of charter firm VistaJet.
FlightRadar24 data shows that the only VistaJet plane to depart Stansted on Monday afternoon is headed to Bangkok.
Thousands of people are now closely tracking that plane online as it moves through the skies, although there's been no confirmation from Assange's team on his flight path.
We do know that the WikiLeaks founder is due in court in the Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday morning, an appearance he'll no doubt want to be on time for.
In a pre-recorded video uploaded two hours ago, Julian’s wife Stella appears outside Belmarsh prison with Wikileaks editor in chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson.
They confirm that Julian has been freed, and they thank his supporters.
Stella says that things are moving “very quickly”, but that "if everything goes well, Julian will be on a plane, on the way to freedom.”
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Christine Assange has expressed gratitude that her son's lengthy legal battle appears to be reaching a conclusion.
"I am grateful that my son's ordeal is finally coming to an end. This shows the importance and power of quiet diplomacy," she said in a statement published by Australia's national broadcaster.
"Many have used my son's situation to push their own agendas, so I am grateful to those unseen, hard-working people who put Julian's welfare first," she added, noting the "toll" the past 14 years had taken on her.
Assange's father John Shipton thanked the Australian government for its advocacy.
"It looks as though Julian will be free to come back to Australia. My thanks and congratulations to all his supporters… that have made that possible, and of course, the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese," he told ABC News.
Mr Shipton described his son's possible return home as "energising".
"I don't fade easily, you know. And neither does Julian. It must be a family trait."
Court documents say Julian Assange is expected to appear in a US courtroom on the Northern Mariana Islands - in the Pacific - on Wednesday to enter a guilty plea which will finally resolve his case.
He is due to be sentenced to 62 months in prison. But under the plea agreement, he'll receive credit for the time he has spent in jail in Britain - and isn't expected to spend any more time in custody.
The US Department of Justice says it expects him to return to his native Australia.
Julian’s wife Stella has thanked his supporters for their years of advocacy.
“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 said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The South African-born lawyer has been in a relationship with the WikiLeaks founder since 2015.
The pair first met in 2011 when she joined Assange's legal team. They have two children who she says she's been raising on her own. They got married in 2022, while Assange was still being held in Belmarsh prison.
The Australian government has commented on the news of Assange’s potential release, without saying much.
“We are aware Australian citizen Mr Julian Assange has legal proceedings scheduled in the United States,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.
“The Australian Government continues to provide consular assistance to Mr Assange.
“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,” it added.
You can read more about some of the pressure Australian policymakers have been putting on their US counterparts to bring Assange home here.
WikiLeaks have posted video that they say shows Assange boarding a plane on Monday afternoon at Stansted Airport to depart the UK.
Assange had been held in the high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019 awaiting updates on his case. In total he spent 1,901 days there, fighting extradition to the US.
Video content
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the release of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after a plea deal with the US.
Assange, 52, has spent the last five years in a British prison, from where he has been fighting extradition to the US. He was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.
For years, the US has argued that the Wikileaks files - which disclosed information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endangered lives.
According to CBS, the BBC's US partner, Assange will spend no time in US custody and will receive credit for the time spent incarcerated in the UK.
The deal - which will see him plead guilty to one charge - is expected to be finalised in a court in the Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday, 26 June.
The remote Pacific islands, a US commonwealth, are much closer to Australia than US federal courts in Hawaii or the continental US.
Assange will return to Australia, according to a letter from the justice department.
We are tracking reaction, commentary and news lines around this - stay with us.
1 opmerking:
https://x.com/stella_assange/status/1805573781303308326?s=12
Crowdfund actie van Stella Assange.
Mvg, Arnoud
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