It happens after Assange is said to have entered into an agreement with the United States. Wikileaks writes on the messaging service X that Assange has been released on bail, and that he left Belmarsh prison in London on Monday morning. – He was released on bail at Stansted Airport this afternoon, where he got on a plane and left the UK, writes Wikileaks in a statement. Wikileaks has published a video on X that will show Assange signing documents, before he boards a private plane. Assange will now be on his way to a court hearing on the American island of Saipan in the Pacific Ocean. After the hearing, the plan is for him to travel to his home country of Australia, according to Wikileaks. The agreement with the US means that Assange must plead guilty to one charge. For this, he will be sentenced to 62 months in prison, equivalent to what he has already served, according to court documents. This is reported by the news agency Reuters and NBC News, among others. Thanking supporters Wife Stella Assange thanks all her husband’s supporters. – Julian is free!!!! writes Stella Assange on X. – Words cannot describe our enormous gratitude to you, yes you, who have mobilized year after year for this to happen, writes Stella. Year-long dispute Assange has not yet commented on the settlement with the US. He is being prosecuted by the US government for his role in the 2010 leak of around 700,000 classified documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The settlement appears to be the end of a year-long dispute between the US and Assange. In 2006, Assange was one of the founders of the website Wikileaks, which on several occasions published classified material from several countries. Not expected The 52-year-old Australian has been imprisoned in the British Belmarsh prison in London since April 2019. He was arrested after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was suspected of sex crimes . The Swedish investigation was concluded in 2019. The news of the settlement was not expected in advance and became known on the night of Tuesday Norwegian time. Avoided extradition Actually, it was expected that the next chapter in the saga would be a court hearing this summer regarding extradition to the United States. The Americans have long asked for Assange’s extradition, which he has opposed for fear of a very harsh punishment. To supporters around the world, Assange remains a hero. But many are critical of the way Wikileaks published classified documents, without glossing over details that could put individuals at risk. Published 25.06.2024, at 01.27 Updated 25.06.2024, at 04.51
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