Julian Assange is free!

As his wife Stella and others announced on 𝕏, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is finally free again after a long prison sentence! A deal with the US justice system meant that the well-known whistleblower was able to leave prison and travel back to his home country of Australia.

In her text, Assange's wife thanked the many supporters who had campaigned tirelessly over the years for his release. "Julian is free!!! Words cannot express how grateful we are to all of you - yes, you who mobilized for years to make this possible. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU." she wrote in her emotional post.

The background to his release is a lengthy negotiation process with the US judiciary, which ultimately led to a deal, the details of which have not yet been fully disclosed. As part of this deal, Assange will plead guilty to one count, namely the unauthorized publication of state secrets. However, the sentence imposed for this is considered to have already been served, as he is known to have spent the past few years in prison. This allowed his immediate release and permission to return to Australia.

He was released from Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison on the morning of June 24 after spending 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and arrived at Stansted Airport in the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and left the UK. After more than five years in a 2 x 3 meter cell, where he was isolated for 23 hours a day, he will soon be reunited with his wife Stella Assange and their children, who have only known their father behind bars.
^{Wikileaks at 𝕏}

Although the release of Julian Assange is being celebrated by many around the world, there is also considerable criticism of the terms of the deal. In particular, the fact that Assange had to plead guilty has been met with sharp disapproval. Critics argue that this move sets a dangerous precedent that undermines press freedom and criminalizes journalism. By forcing Assange to plead guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, many see a questionable extension of U.S. jurisdiction to non-citizens. This extension could be used in the future to prosecute journalists and whistleblowers worldwide.

US politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr., among others, expressed his concern about the impact of this deal on the freedom of the press and the rights of journalists. He emphasized that with this deal, the US security state was successful in drastically restricting the boundaries of journalistic work. He also pointed out the health reasons that forced Assange to accept the deal. Given his severe heart problems and the sometimes inhumane conditions in Belmarsh prison, Assange had little choice but to accept the deal to save his life. The fact that he had to admit guilt under such extreme pressure is seen by many as morally questionable and as a victory of repressive state power over individual freedom and freedom of the press.

However, Assange's release does not mean the end of all legal disputes. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop and whether further legal action will be taken against him. For now, however, Assange can enjoy his regained freedom and look forward to reuniting with family and friends. He and his Wikileaks project will continue to have many supporters around the world who will continue to fight for justice and truth.

Because, as his Wikileaks colleagues put it so beautifully in their post on 𝕏: "Julian's freedom is the freedom of us all!"