WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department allowing him to go free.
On Monday morning, Assange left Belmarsh maximum security prison after 1,901 days of incarceration. The High Court in London granted him bail, and in the afternoon, he was released at Stansted Airport, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.
A statement released by WikiLeaks said: “This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised.”
After enduring over five years in a 2×3 meter cell, isolated for 23 hours a day, Julian Assange will soon reunite with his wife, Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father through the bars of a prison.
The outlet went on to say, Julian’s freedom is our freedom.
“WikiLeaks published groundbreaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid severely for these principles, and for the people’s right to know,” the statement said.
