Assange freed as part of plea deal: Live updates
The WikiLeaks co-founder is expected to finalize his release at a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the PacificA Julian Assange supporter protests in front of Westminster Magistrates Court, while calling for his release from Belmarsh Prison, on April 14, 2024 in London, England. © Peter Nicholls/Getty ImagesWikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has been freed from Belmarsh maximum security prison in the UK as part of a plea deal with the US Justice Department. The activist spent five years behind bars in London while fighting extradition to the US, where he is accused of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security materials which shed light on alleged American war crimes.
According to the US Department of Justice, Assange has agreed to plead guilty at a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific. He is expected to be sentenced to around five years, equating to the time he has already served in Britain, while the extradition request is likely to be dropped. After the court proceedings, Assange is expected to travel to Australia, his country of citizenship.
25 June 2024
07:18 GMTMurray said that while Assange will have to live within certain limitations, his family apparently believes that the deal is certain. “Of course, nobody really takes seriously this guilty [plea]. It’s obvious… this is coerced. It is a cheap move by the Biden administration, to claim a little hollow victory for themselves.”
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06:54 GMTDespite his release and expected deal with the US Justice Department, Assange is a “marked man” and “will always be in danger” after exposing US secrets, Craig Murray, a human rights activist and former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, told RT. This threat, he added, comes “particularly from the malicious forces of the CIA and the United States.”
06:35 GMTThe VJT199 charter flight believed to be carrying Assange has landed in Bangkok, Thailand, according to the Flightradar24 website. It is unclear whether the aircraft is refueling after flying from the UK, or how the activist will continue his journey to the Northern Mariana Islands, some 5,000km to the east.
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