Wikileaks founder Assange back in Australia as a free man
The 52-year-old admitted to the conspiracy for providing information for national defense in accordance with an agreement with the US Justice Department. At a court hearing in the Pacific territory of Northern Mariana Islands, a US judge declared on a Wednesday that Assange is now a "free man." The Australian flew to his homeland after the court hearing.
The Wikileaks founder was formally sentenced to five years and two months in prison at the court hearing. However, this sentence is considered served due to his corresponding detention time in a British prison. Before his imprisonment, Assange had sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years.
Assange is accused in the US of releasing around 700,000 confidential documents about US military and diplomatic activities between 2010. The papers contained sensitive information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including civilian killings and mistreatment of prisoners by US military personnel.
For his supporters, Assange is a hero who fights for free speech. His critics see him as a traitor who put the security of the US and intelligence sources at risk.
Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, returned to his home country, Australia, after being declared a "free man" by a US judge in the Pacific territory of Northern Mariana Islands following a court hearing. Despite being formally sentenced to five years and two months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to provide information for national defense, the sentence is considered served due to his detention time in a British prison. Prior to his imprisonment, Assange had sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years. Assange is accused by the USA of releasing over 700,000 confidential documents about US military and diplomatic activities between 2010, which contained sensitive information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including civilian killings and mistreatment of prisoners by US military personnel. While some regard Assange as a hero who fights for free speech, others view him as a traitor who put the security of the USA and intelligence sources at risk. The UK played a role in his detention.
