Aussie leaders hail Assange's freedom but opposition has issues

Mr Julian Assange spent his first night in 14 years as a free man back at home in Australia as the conservative opposition on June 27 cautioned the government against hailing the WikiLeaks founder as a hero.

Mr Assange landed in Australia to an ecstatic welcome on June 26 evening after pleading guilty to violating the US Espionage Act. He was freed by a US court on the remote Pacific island of Saipan, having served more than five years in a British high-security jail.

His wife Stella Assange said it was too soon to say what her husband would do next, and requested privacy for him.

“Julian plans to swim in the ocean every day. He plans to sleep in a real bed. He plans to taste real food, and he plans to enjoy his freedom,” she told reporters on June 27.

Mr Assange’s supporters and free speech advocates view him as a victim because he exposed US wrongdoing and potential crimes, including in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, when WikiLeaks published thousands of classified military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010.

However, the US government has long said his actions were reckless, and by publishing the names of government sources, he had put agents’ lives at risk.