Julian Assange released from prison – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

WikiLeaks writes on the messaging service on Tuesday X Julian Assange (52 years old) was released under an agreement with the United States, and he left Belmarsh Prison in London on Monday morning.

– He was released on bail at Stansted Airport this afternoon, where he boarded a plane and left the UK, the statement said.

According to the United States, he will return to his homeland in Australia. But first he must answer himself before an American court on an island in the Pacific Ocean.

The plane that Assange is likely to be on interstate in Bangkok shortly after 8 p.m., according to Reuters.

The route continues to the island of Saipan, which is part of the US Commonwealth. Assange is scheduled to appear in court there.

The agreement with the United States means he will plead guilty to one charge and be sentenced to 62 months in prison, according to court documents.

This corresponds to the time he has already served. His wife told Reuters that the family still wants to ask the US President to pardon Assange.

Expensive trip

The cost of Assange's private plane trip, from the United Kingdom to Thailand, then Saipan and finally Australia, is approximately US$500,000.

This corresponds to more than 5 million Norwegian kroner.

The family will start a fundraising campaign to pay for the ticket, his wife Stella Assange tells the PA news agency.

-I feel a whirlwind of emotions. feels like it's not real, She told the BBC.

– It's been so long that I'm not used to talking about Julian as a free man in real time.

She said she was still preparing to share the news with her children Tuesday morning.

– All your dealings with Julian were in the visiting room at Belmarsh Prison. It was always a little over an hour each time.

Current WikiLeaks editor Kristin Hrafnsson says the campaign for Assange's freedom gained momentum only a few weeks ago.

He thanks Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his assistance, and also points to the High Court decision that enabled Assange to appeal the extradition decision in the United Kingdom.

Norsk Ben: I was afraid Assange would die in prison

Erling Borgen of the writer and freedom of expression organization Norsk PEN calls the release a “fantastic development.”

– It was a surprise, but at the same time we believed and hoped that at least things would happen behind the public spotlight, he tells NRK.

Assange spent five years in a terrorist prison, was treated in an incredibly humiliating way, and became sicker and sicker.

Borgen strongly criticizes the fact that the Norwegian Foreign Ministers, Annekin Hoitfeldt and Espen Barth Eide, discussed how to treat Assange without commenting on the matter.

He says: “I thought Assange might die in prison and that the scandal would be greater, as European government politicians did not lift a finger to release him.”

Borgen believes that Assange did the world a favor when he published 700,000 documents that revealed “American war crimes” in Guantanamo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

-I feel so strong and well that this nightmare now seems to be over.

To supporters around the world, Assange remains a hero. But many also criticize the fact that all these documents were published without hiding details that could put individuals at risk.

Thank you supporters

Those closest to Assange take the cheers with reservations. They believe that freedom is not set in stone until a judge is appointed Northern Mariana Islands He signs the agreement on Wednesday.

However, the wife writes on the X: “Julian is free!!!!”, and thanks everyone who supported Assange throughout his long captivity.

His parents have also commented on the case To the Australian ABC.

– It seems that Julian will have the opportunity to return to Australia. Thanks and congratulations to all his supporters who made this possible, and of course Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, says Father John Shipton.

Mother Christine Assange says the past 14 years have been a “confession”.

– Many have used my son's situation to promote their own agendas, so I am grateful to the hard-working invisible people who put his well-being first.

A year-long battle

Assange has not yet commented on the settlement with the United States.

The US government is trying him for his role in leaking about 700,000 secret documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.

The settlement appears to mark the end of a year-long dispute between the United States and Assange.

In 2006, Assange was one of the founders of WikiLeaks, which has published classified material from several countries on several occasions.

The Australian has been imprisoned in the British Belmarsh Prison in London since April 2019.

He was arrested after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was suspected of sexual crimes. The Swedish investigation ended in 2017.

The news of the settlement was not expected in advance and became known on Tuesday night, Norwegian time.

He opposed his extradition to the United States

In fact, the next chapter in the saga was expected to be a court hearing this summer on extradition to the United States.

The Americans have long demanded Assange's extradition, which he opposes for fear of a very severe punishment.

Former US Vice President Mike Pence considers the agreement with Assange to be “judicial murder.”

– Agreements should not be concluded in order to avoid imprisonment of those who endanger national security. As ever, he writes on X.

Prime Minister Albanese says he wants to allow Assange to return to his native Australia as soon as possible, according to Reuters.

“I have been very clear that regardless of what people think about Julian Assange and his activities, the case has gone on for too long,” Albanese said.

– There is nothing to be gained by staying in prison, and we want him to return to his homeland, Australia.

The British Home Office did not comment on the matter to the BBC on Tuesday morning.