Stella Assange says husband needs time to recuperate after arriving in Australia following plea deal with US
‘I am’: Assange says he is guilty of charge
Assange said he read “at great length” and signed the plea agreement while at Stansted airport on 24 June.
Judge Manglona has checked several times that no one has tried to bribe, intimidate or coerce Assange to plead guilty. He’s said no every time.
She asks if he is pleading guilty because he is “in fact guilty of that charge”. Assange takes a sizeable pause and says:
I am.
The Guardian has not independently confirmed this, but WikiLeaks has posted to X that Assange may depart for Canberra, Australia in less than three hours on Flight VJT199.
Expected to depart in 2 hours, 58 minutes. To Canberra, Australia.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 25, 2024
Flight VJT199 #AssangeJet: https://t.co/gxcbvNyvnj pic.twitter.com/t239sHob7Q
US attorneys are now reading out the plea agreement, and some slight amendments to language.
Court proceedings moving quickly
Manglona is a professional and experienced chief judge. She’s roaring through this hearing, noting several times that most don’t go this quickly, and stopping to check that Julian Assange is keeping up with all the legalities.
She asks if Assange is satisfied with the proceedings so far, and he jokes that it might depend on the outcome.
His lawyer adds, “no pressure, your honour”.
Julian Assange is required to instruct WikiLeaks to destroy the information and provide an affidavit that he has done so.
The US attorneys are satisfied that he has done this.
Assange faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. After a sentence is pronounced, the court could still set a probationary period of one to five years.
This is all because the offence to which you are here to plead guilty is a class C felony.
Assange and his lawyers are now standing. He is asked if he will plead guilty or not guilty.
Assange leans forward to the microphone. Asked if he will plead guilty or not guilty, Assange replies:
Guilty to the information.
(This is a guilty plea, in legal language.)
‘You only get a bit of time on this earth’: Assange’s father
Circling back to Julian Assange’s father, John Shipton, who was speaking with ABC News just earlier.
He is asked how he feels about Assange’s agreement to plead guilty to espionage, in hopes of returning to Australia?
I divide it into two. One is the human factor, that you only get a bit of time on this earth to spend with your loved ones. That’s all you get. The construction, or if you like the exposition and understanding of that is incapsulated in the decision to make freedom available to Julian under certain circumstances is vital. You can’t live here without time on this earth and spending time with your loved ones is really important.
The other section … state to state relationships, how states can work together and do work together, particularly when the United States is immensely powerful – a super power in economy and military and Australia relatively is small and weak, relatively, to that gigantic super power.
Judge Manglona says she accepts Assange’s waiver.
It is 9.34am.
Judge reads charge
Manglona is now reading the charge against Assange, of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US documents.
This is a crime that’s punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
She is explaining the formalities – that if he doesn’t waive his right to an indictment by pleading guilty he could be sent to trial.
Assange is answering with short answers to her questions, saying he understands.
Manglona: “Do you wish to waive your right to an indictment to a grand jury?”
“Yes,” he says.
Assange sits at the desk, leaning forward to the microphone with his hands together.
