Julian Assange is home and dry. The enigmatic founder of WikiLeaks, has returned to Australia as a free man, greeted by the warm embrace of family and friends after enduring years of turmoil and uncertainty.
His unwavering commitment to releasing classified documents on moral grounds made him one of the most wanted men on earth. Yet, after seven years of self-imposed confinement and an additional five years of enforced detention, Assange is now relishing his newfound freedom in his home country, Australia.
The Path to Freedom
Assange’s journey to liberty took a pivotal turn on May 20, when the High Court in the UK granted him a critical legal reprieve. The court ruled that he could file a new appeal against attempts to extradite him to the United States, where he faced multiple charges under the Espionage Act.
These charges included 17 counts of publishing official secrets, each carrying a maximum 10-year prison term, and one count of hacking, punishable by up to five years.
A key aspect of the judgement revolved around whether Assange, as an Australian citizen, could invoke the US Constitution’s First Amendment right to free speech in his defense. Nick Vamos, former head of extradition at the Crown Prosecution Service and head of business crime at the law firm Peters & Peters, noted that the ruling increased pressure on both sides to negotiate a resolution.
Political Shifts and Diplomatic Maneuvering
The turning point in the protracted deadlock likely began with the election of a new Australian government in May 2022.
The administration, led by Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, was determined to bring home one of its citizens detained overseas. While Albanese did not endorse all of Assange’s actions, he asserted that “enough was enough” and prioritized securing Assange’s release, largely through discreet diplomatic efforts.
“Not all foreign affairs is best done with the loud hailer,”
According to the BBC, the US had signaled a willingness to negotiate a deal for some time.
In August, Ambassador Kennedy suggested that a plea deal could resolve the standoff, an idea eventually embraced by Assange’s legal team. By April, President Biden was considering Australia’s request to drop the prosecution.
The Assange case had strained UK-US relations, and American diplomats were eager to resolve the issue to protect their alliance with Australia, particularly in light of the Aukus defense and security partnership involving the US, UK, and Australia.
Looking Forward
Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, told the BBC that the family would seek a pardon from the US president.
As Assange begins to rebuild his life in Australia, his case remains a powerful symbol of the complexities and controversies surrounding issues of free speech, governmental transparency, and the balance between national security and public interest.
