Assange leaves the courtroom
Julian Assange has just left the courtroom to applause and a huge media scrum. He gave a quick wave to those gathered before getting into a vehicle, but did not appear to say anything.
Julian Assange: Stella Assange says WikiLeaks founder needs time to ‘let our family be a family’ before speaking publicly – as it happened
This article is more than 1 month old
Stella Assange says husband needs time to recuperate after arriving in Australia following plea deal with US
Updated
Wed 26 Jun 2024 14.33 BST
First published on Tue 25 Jun 2024 22.28 BSTKey events
- Summary of the day …
- Summary:
- Stella Assange: 'let our family be a family'
- Assange told Albanese that Australian PM had 'saved his life'
- Anthony Albanese says Australian government did ‘exactly the right thing’ to secure Assange’s release
- Julian Assange lands in Canberra
- Anthony Albanese addresses parliament about Assange case
- WikiLeaks to hold press conference in Canberra tonight
- US ambassador to Australia issues statement following Assange outcome
- Plane carrying Assange takes off in Saipan
- Summary
- US Justice Department statement: Assange prohibited from returning to US
- Assange leaves the courtroom
- Assange's lawyer addresses the media
- Court is adjourned
- Judge says Assange will walk from Saipan courtroom a free man
- Assange emotional as judge declares: 'this case ends with me here in Saipan'
- Judge not imposing any period of supervised release
- Judge acknowledges Assange's '14-year ordeal'
- Sentencing begins
- Here's what we know so far
- Australian PM: 'I will have more to say on Assange case once legal proceedings conclude'
- Court taking 20 minute break
- Judge accepts Julian Assange's guilty plea
- 15 minute recess to take place before 'final stage', judge says
- Reactions flow in the United States to Assange’s plea deal
- Assange pleads guilty to US espionage charge
- Assange is sworn in at court
- Julian Assange enters courtroom
- Assange hearing expected to begin any minute in full courtroom
- Who is Kevin Rudd?
- Assange court hearing to begin in less than half an hour
- Watch: Julian Assange arrives at Saipan court
- Where is Saipan, and why is Julian Assange there?
- Julian Asssange arrives at Saipan court alongside Kevin Rudd
Live feed
Key events
- Summary of the day …
- Summary:
- Stella Assange: 'let our family be a family'
- Assange told Albanese that Australian PM had 'saved his life'
- Anthony Albanese says Australian government did ‘exactly the right thing’ to secure Assange’s release
- Julian Assange lands in Canberra
- Anthony Albanese addresses parliament about Assange case
- WikiLeaks to hold press conference in Canberra tonight
- US ambassador to Australia issues statement following Assange outcome
- Plane carrying Assange takes off in Saipan
- Summary
- US Justice Department statement: Assange prohibited from returning to US
- Assange leaves the courtroom
- Assange's lawyer addresses the media
- Court is adjourned
- Judge says Assange will walk from Saipan courtroom a free man
- Assange emotional as judge declares: 'this case ends with me here in Saipan'
- Judge not imposing any period of supervised release
- Judge acknowledges Assange's '14-year ordeal'
- Sentencing begins
- Here's what we know so far
- Australian PM: 'I will have more to say on Assange case once legal proceedings conclude'
- Court taking 20 minute break
- Judge accepts Julian Assange's guilty plea
- 15 minute recess to take place before 'final stage', judge says
- Reactions flow in the United States to Assange’s plea deal
- Assange pleads guilty to US espionage charge
- Assange is sworn in at court
- Julian Assange enters courtroom
- Assange hearing expected to begin any minute in full courtroom
- Who is Kevin Rudd?
- Assange court hearing to begin in less than half an hour
- Watch: Julian Assange arrives at Saipan court
- Where is Saipan, and why is Julian Assange there?
- Julian Asssange arrives at Saipan court alongside Kevin Rudd
Members of Julian Assange’s legal team, Barry Pollack and Jennifer Robinson, have finished addressing the media outside of court.
Jennifer Robinson concluded:
This sets a dangerous precedent, this prosecution sets a dangerous precedent, that should be of concern to journalist everywhere.
The US is seeking to exercise extraterrestrial jurisdiction over all of you without giving you constitutional free speech protections, and anyone who cares about free speech and democratic accountability should stand against it …
I hope that the fact that we have been able to free Julian Assange today against all of the odds and against one of the most powerful governments in the world will give hope to all journalists and publishers who are imprisoned around the world, and we encourage everyone who stood to fight for Julian to continue the fight for him, and for all of those others in the hope that we can secure their future freedom too.
You can watch the press conference live below:
Australian human rights lawyer and member of Assange’s legal team, Jennifer Robinson, is now addressing the media.
She says it’s a historic day and finally after 14 days he can go home a free man.
She thanks his supporters around the world and noted a “global movement behind Julian to protect free speech.” She then turned to thank the Australian government:
In particular, I want to thank our prime minister Anthony Albanese for his statesmanship, his principled leadership and his diplomacy, which made this outcome possible … He raised at the highest level, at every opportunity, and when Australian officials were making outreach to the US, they knew that they were acting with the full authority of the prime minister of Australia…
I also want to thank our attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, our foreign minister Penny Wong and give particular thanks to our US ambassador and former prime minister Kevin Rudd for his adept diplomacy and his relentless efforts in Washington that facilitated our negotiations with US government and this outcome.
He won’t answer how long it took to get this deal.
62 months in Belmarsh.
Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, continued:
What set a chilling precedent is the prosecution … The court today determined no harm was caused by his publication. We know that they were newsworthy, we know that they were quoted by every major news outlet on the planet and we know that they revealed important information. That is called journalism.
That is what has a chilling effect … the United States pursuing journalism as a crime. I hope this is the first and last time this ever occurs.
Assange’s lawyer said that the work of WikiLeaks will continue “and Mr Assange, I have no doubt, will be a continuing force for freedom of speech and transparency in government.”
He is a powerful voice and a voice that cannot and should not be silenced.
Assange's lawyer addresses the media
Julian Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, is now addressing the media outside the court:
The prosecution of Julian Assange is unprecedented in the 100 years of the espionage act, it has never been used by United States to pursue a publisher, a journalist, like Mr Assange.
Mr Assange revealed truthful, newsworthy information, including revealing that the United States had committed war crimes. He has suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech, for freedom of the press, and to ensure that the American public and the world community gets truthful and important newsworthy information.
We firmly believe that Mr Assange never should have been charged under the espionage act and engaged in [an] exercise that journalists engage in everyday and we are thankful that they do. … It is appropriate for the judge, as she did today, to determine that no additional incarceration of Mr Assange would be fair, appropriate, and it is time for him to be reunited with his family.
Mr Assange is grateful for all of the support that he has received and looks forward to reuniting with his wife and his children and getting back home to Australia.
He said that Assange would not be taking questions.
The media are now waiting outside the court for a potential press conference – we’ll bring you the latest as soon as we can.
