The High Court in London sets Julian Assange free
The High Court in London has made a surprising decision in the Julian Assange case. After more than five years incarcerated in a maximum security prison, the founder of Wikileaks has been released on bail. Assange had been imprisoned since April 11, 2019, when he was arrested after leaving the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had been a refugee for seven years. His arrest came as a result of an arrest warrant issued by the United States for the dissemination of classified documents.
Wikileaks official information
The news of Assange’s freedom has been confirmed by Wikileaks through social networks. According to the organization’s statement, Assange has left Belmarsh maximum security prison after 1,901 days. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and released at Stansted Airport. Assange is currently on his way to his home country of Australia, where he will be reunited with his wife and children.
A settlement with the United States Department of Justice
According to the first reports, Julian Assange and the American Department of Justice would have reached an agreement. In that deal, Assange would plead guilty in exchange for a 62-month prison sentence, which is equivalent to the time he has spent in prison in the UK. However, that deal still needs to be approved by a judge.
The defense of Wikileaks leaks
Assange has always maintained that the Wikileaks leaks in 2010 served to reveal war crimes committed by the United States. The information revealed was about government corruption and human rights abuses. This defense has generated a wide debate about the freedom of the press and the protection of whistleblowers (https://materials.campus.uoc.edu/continguts/PID_00294231/index.html).