Julian Assange is Finally Free!
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is finally free after spending over five years in Belmarsh maximum-security prison. This is a huge win for press freedom.
Julian's Journey Home
This morning, June 24th, Julian walked out of Belmarsh and boarded a flight at Stansted Airport, heading back to Australia. He’s going home to reunite with his wife, Stella, and their kids. After 1901 days in a tiny cell, isolated for 23 hours a day, this moment is a testament to the power of solidarity and perseverance.
How We Got Here
Julian agreed to plead guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information. This deal, to be finalized on Wednesday, means he won’t spend any more time in U.S. custody. He’s effectively already served his sentence during his time fighting extradition in the UK.
This outcome is thanks to a global campaign that brought together grassroots organizers and press freedom advocates.
Why It Matters
WikiLeaks is a controversial organization, and Assange a very divisive figure. Some love him and others hate him. What’s fascinating is the paradox that the very reasons he’s won countless journalism awards are the same reasons he has been detained for over 12 years.
There are three important factors to keep in mind about this whole situation:
Assange has been relentlessly smeared by the media and all kinds of falsehoods have been propagated about him over the past decade. It’s important that people understand that most of what they know about Assange is probably false. You can watch our mini-documentary about it here.
The actual indictment against Assange details actions that are rudimentary activities conducted by journalists everyday. This case threatens the future of Freedom of the Press.
Assange is now free, but he has already been detained for over a decade — 5 years of this were spent in one of the most notorious maximum security prisons in the world. The devastating chilling effect on journalism and holding government accountable has already taken hold.
Wikileaks has exposed government corruption and human rights abuses, holding those in power accountable. Julian paid a heavy price for these principles, but today, we celebrate that he now goes free.
A Big Thank You
There are countless people who have been fighting for his release for years. Today your efforts are vindicated. Thank you for believing in the power of a free press.
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Yours in privacy,
Naomi
NBTV. Because Privacy Matters.