Julian Assange has been released from Belmarsh prison.
The WikiLeaks founder spent 23 hours a day of his 1,901 days in the maximum security prison in isolation. His release came as the result of a plea deal made with the US Justice Department that would allow him to go free after serving five years in British prison. The exact terms of this arrangement have not yet been formally finalized.
Assange will return to Australia to be reunited with his wife and two children.
This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised. We will provide more information as soon as possible.
[…]WikiLeaks published groundbreaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid severely for these principles, and for the people's right to know.
@wikileaks via X
Honestly, this outcome comes as a surprise. The USJD doesn' have a track record of being terribly kind to whistleblowers and their collaborators. We'll see what the additional terms of the plea deal are. Regardless, Assange is home.