Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has finally returned to his home country Australia aboard a charter jet as a free man as his prolonged legal battle with the United States came to an end.
Assange, who had faced charges related to the publication of classified documents, had been embroiled in a decade-long legal struggle that saw him seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and later being held in a UK prison.
His arrival in Australia marks a significant chapter in a case that has sparked global debates on press freedom and government transparency.
Supporters welcomed Assange’s return, viewing it as a triumph for investigative journalism and free speech.
‘Touchdown! After enduring nearly 14 years of arbitrary detention in the UK, 5 years in maximum security prison, for his groundbreaking publishing work with WikiLeaks, Julian Assange has arrived home on Australian soil’, tweeted Wikileaks.
Assange flew from a London prison to Saipan on a charter jet before continuing on the same aircraft to Canberra.
He was accompanied by Australian Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Stephen Smith, who played pivotal roles in negotiating his release with authorities in London and Washington.
The flights were funded by the Assange team according to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who noted that the Australian government facilitated the transport.
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