Julian Assange was released from Belmarsh Prison after reaching a plea dealA row has broken out following the release of Julian Assange from Belmarsh Prison after the WikiLeaks founder reached a plea deal with the US over the spy charges that have dogged him for more than a decade.
His wife Stella - who said she is feeling a 'whirlwind of emotion' - has revealed they are seeking a pardon following the 'outrageous' 14-year case. In 2012, as authorities circled him for that and over 'credible and reliable' sex crime allegations from a woman in Sweden, he fled into London's Ecuadorian embassy where he remained for seven years in often farcical circumstances.
Assange, who has been sought for over a decade over allegations he hacked the US government, today left HMP Belmarsh in London and flew out of the country on a flight from Stansted at 5pm on Monday While he has reportedly been allowed to leave the country to go back to his native Australia, British officials have not yet confirmed his releaseA plane, understood to be carrying Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, is pictured on the tarmac at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok today
Assange is expected to appear in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, at 9am local time The former high commissioner to the UK said that most people in Australia do not believe he is a hero who was fighting for the truth as a journalist. Assange's deal is expected to see him plead guilty to a single espionage charge. Prosecutors will then ask the judge to sentence him to five years. He has already served this time in the UK, meaning he is likely to be set free immediately.
'And I think most people in Australia would agree that it's not appropriate to steal national security information and publish it. 'We have engaged and advocated Australia's interest using all appropriate channels to support a positive outcome and I have done that since very early on in my prime ministership,' he said.
'He has been in Belmarsh Prison for over five years in relation to this outrageous case which is criminalising the publication and disclosure of information that incriminates states.' Stella said her husband is paying half a million US dollars for the flight which is taking him to Australia.
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