Assange arrives on Pacific island after signing plea deal

WikiLeaks founder to plead guilty on one remaining charge

- ALASTAIR JAMIESON

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange landed on a remote island in the Pacific yesterday, where his long-running campaign to avoid extradition to the United States will formally end and he will finally be a free man. The 52-year-old will appear before a judge in the US territory of the Northern Mariana Islands to plead guilty to one charge, after the US dropped 17 other espionage charges against him.

Having already served 62 months in jail, he will then fly to his native Australia to be reunited with his wife, two young sons and other members of the family. It follows his dramatic release from Belmarsh Prison in London – where he has spent five years, largely in solitary confinement, fighting extradition – and a deal with US prosecutors.

Assange’s wife, Stella, said she had travelled to Australia with the couple’s two young sons, Gabriel and Max, on Sunday when it became clear that Assange would be freed. “It is hard to believe that Julian has been in prison for so long,” she said.

“It had become normalised. I am grateful to the people who made this possible, but I am also angry that it ever came to this. Overall I am elated, but I cannot believe it is actually happening until I see Julian.”

She said her husband’s release would not have happened without the intervention of Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, who has been increasingly vocal in demands for the United States to drop charges against Assange. “The public climate has shifted, and everyone understands that Julian has been the victim,” said Ms Assange.

Assange will plead guilty to a charge under the Espionage Act of obtaining and disclosing information of national importance.