What looks like Julian Assange's family entering the jet on the tarmac in Canberra. pic.twitter.com/3d3ILLZrjY
— Sarah Basford Canales (@sbasfordcanales) June 26, 2024
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
After a flight lasting 6 hours and 36 minutes, Julian Assange has landed.
The plane has just pulled up and there looks to be two men waiting at the base of the stairs. His family are expected to meet him on the tarmac.
Julian Assange lands in Canberra
And touch down! The plane carrying Julian Assange has landed in Australia, bringing a 14-year-old legal ordeal to an end.
We’ve got more to come – but now, we can say he is home.
There’s more than 50 people waiting at Canberra airport for the arrival of Julian Assange, who is due to land any minute.
It’s 8 degrees celsius outside and media teams from around the country and world are here to get their first glimpse of him touching down on Australian soil.
It will only be a momentary glimpse, and one from a great distance. The tarmac is usually reserved for defence VIP flights and is separated from the main public airport.
Media and supporters of Assange are waiting by a fence near a carpark overlooking the tarmac.
Julian Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, has been speaking on the ABC:
Pretty exciting moment. We’ve been working on this for so long. And to finally, you know, it’s only a few minutes away.
It’s just, uh.. hard to describe … hard to hard to describe the emotion that we’re going through at the moment.
The jet is expected to touch down in about 15 minutes and the ABC’s Monte Bovill has just shared this picture of reporters gathering:
A large contingent of media are waiting at Canberra’s military airbase for the arrival of Julian Assange. His plane is due to touch down here shortly @abcnews pic.twitter.com/3UY1P6BIZA
— Monte Bovill (@MonteBovill) June 26, 2024
With less than 50 minutes to go, here is some political reaction from earlier today:
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he was satisfied with what his government had achieved for Assange:
Assange’s case has dragged on for too long. I have said repeatedly that there was nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration.
The US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, said the US was grateful to the Australian government for its commitment and assistance throughout the process:
The return of Julian Assange to Australia brings this longstanding and difficult case to a close.
The Australian opposition finance spokesperson, Jane Hume, said Assange was “no hero” of hers, but welcomed his return:
He put lives in danger, not just of counter-intelligence agents in the US but also of innocent and helpful Iraqi and Afghan citizens who were helping coalition forces.
WikiLeaks has shared another image of Julian Assange on the plane – this time he is on the phone to his wife, Stella.
Julian on the phone with Stella. One hour to touchdown in Canberra. #FreedomFlight pic.twitter.com/yE93iZw7ch
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 26, 2024
“Can’t wait to touch down,” those were the words Assange’s lawyer Jennifer Robinson used on X.
And the time is almost upon us – less than 50 minutes to go.
We did it. 14 years of legal battles and we are finally taking him home to Australia to be reunited with @Stella_Assange and his kids - and giving him his life back.
— Jen Robinson (@suigenerisjen) June 26, 2024
So many thank yous to make - and will come.
Can’t wait to touch down in 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/zEasQalU7E
Now, some of you will remember that former foreign minister Alexander Downer was never a huge fan of Assange.
He was asked on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing earlier if he thought justice had been served. He said it had, “in a way”, before adding:
After all, Julian Assange has spent a long time in Belmarsh prison in London and that has all been tied up with the legal processes relating to the extradition. He’s now entered into a plea bargain.
He’s admitted his guilt. What he did was a terrible thing. There’s no doubt about that, and it caused huge anxiety and damage and also endangered the lives of people. So, he has paid a price for that.
There’s no doubt about that. And this is a way of bringing the saga to an end, which, I think, is on the whole, quite appropriate.
The WikiLeaks founder’s release was the culmination of years of behind-the-scenes diplomatic lobbying – involving the Australian PM, a Kennedy and a lot of homegrown support.
Dan Hurst has the full story on how Assange’s release was won:
