Children of Assange Anticipate a "Great Surprise"
Julian Assange is both thrilled and apprehensive following his agreement with the US Justice. His spouse, Stella Assange, hasn't yet informed their two young kids, aged 5 and 7, that they will soon meet their dad outside the prison walls for the first time. He needs to travel to the Pacific island of Saipan first.
The children of Julian Assange have no idea about their father's release from years of imprisonment. "I've just told them about a big surprise," Stella Assange told the BBC during an interview in Sydney. She only mentioned they were flying to Australia to meet their grandparents on their way to the London airport.
The children have never encountered their father outside the high-security prison in London. "All their interactions with Julian have happened in a visitation room at Belmarsh Prison," Stella Assange shared. "It was never for longer than an hour, and it was very restrictive."
Brother: "He was overly excited"
Due to the intricate deal Assange made with the US Justice and the necessity of obtaining approval from a US judge, the family has been cautious. "They're still clueless. We're being really careful because obviously, a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old can't understand the gravity of keeping secrets," Stella Assange shared.
Julian Assange himself, as reported by his half-brother, is excited but also nervous about his upcoming return to Australia. "Julian has prepared for this trip and he was overly excited, but he's also worried because he's spent such a long time in freedom," Gabriel Shipton shared with the Australian broadcaster ABC. "I hope he'll be home soon. He's nearly back, so I truly believe there won't be any problems left."
Assange, who is Australian according to WikiLeaks, reportedly departed from London Stansted Airport on a Monday bound for Bangkok, where he is expected to make a stopover before his return to his homeland. A court hearing is scheduled on Saipan on a Wednesday, where an agreement on his release with US justice officials is to be approved.
On route to a US territory in the Western Pacific
Saipan is part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the western Pacific. This island group consists of over a dozen islands, located approximately 70 kilometers north of Guam. Like Guam or Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands are a part of the US, but without the full status of a federal state. The citizens of the Northern Mariana Islands are US citizens, but they cannot participate in presidential elections. Saipan houses US district courts. It's there that Assange is anticipated to appear in court on Wednesday at 9 a.m. local time.
US prosecutors state that Assange intends to testify in court near his Australian home, but not on American soil. Saipan offers an advantage due to being relatively close to Australia, approximately 3000 kilometers away. "He must address a charge brought under American law," explained Emily Crawford, a professor at the University of Sydney's law faculty. "It must be the US territory closest to Australia, and it's not a US federal state like Hawaii."
Saipan was once a German colony
Saipan was previously a German colony. The Northern Mariana Islands were under German rule from 1899 to 1914. After World War I, the islands were mandated to Japan until the end of World War II. The United States then took control and established the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in 1978. The Northern Mariana Islands are now a commonwealth in free association with the United States.
The island has a tumultuous past. It was at different times a Spanish, German, and Japanese colony. Afterward, the USA took control during the Second World War following the Battle of Saipan in 1944. After decades under American rule, the inhabitants voted for admission as a US territory in 1975. The Northern Mariana Islands elected their first representative to the US House of Representatives in 2008, who however has no vote in Congress.
According to the US Department of Justice, Assange admitted to a charge of obtaining and disclosing secret US Defense Department documents. He was sentenced to a prison term of around five years, which he has served. If the judge accepts his plea, Assange is expected to return to Australia after the hearing, as US prosecutors announced.
Initial Arrest in 2010
The USA accuses the Australian of treason, among other things, because his disclosure platform released confidential information about the US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, many supporters view Assange as a journalist who exposed alleged war crimes.
Assange was arrested in the UK for the first time in 2010 on a Swedish arrest warrant due to a sexual offenses accusation. The warrant was later revoked. Since then, Assange spent some time under house arrest, lived for seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and has been held in the high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019.
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The US Justice system is the authority dealing with Julian Assange's processes after his agreement, despite his upcoming travel to the Pacific island of Saipan. Julian Assange's half-brother expressed his excitement and nervousness about Julian's planned return to Australia, following his long time in prison.
Julian Assange, an Australian native, is anticipated to appear in court on Saipan, a US territory in the western Pacific, due to the proximity to Australia and the requirement to address US-related charges.
