WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Pleads Guilty to Espionage in Deal for Freedom

TIME

Julian Assange, the controversial founder of Wikileaks who has been imprisoned in the U.K. since 2019, was visibly emotional on Wednesday local time as he was told by an American judge that he would walk free.

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00:00This is a huge win for Australia and for Australian democracy.

00:27This is a huge win for free speech.

00:31This is a huge win for Australia that our Prime Minister stood up to our ally the United

00:35States and demanded the return of an Australian citizen.

00:39And that Julian came home today is the product of 14 long years of legal battles, political

00:47advocacy and ongoing campaigning, not just by us but by so many people in this community.

00:55A global movement was created around Julian and the need to protect free speech and it's

00:59that global movement that has led to his release today.

01:03I really want to thank everyone who has joined us in this fight, who have supported us along

01:08the way because without that support and the campaigning that's been done, we just wouldn't

01:13be in this position.

01:15Julian is incredibly grateful for the support that he's had from the Australian Government

01:20and from the public here in Australia and we're delighted that he's home.

01:24He's finally home.

01:27I thank the opposition for also supporting Julian's release.

01:35It took all, all of them.

01:41It took millions of people.

01:43It took people working behind the scenes, people protesting on the streets for days

01:55and weeks and months and years.

02:03And we achieved it.

02:05I think it revealed how uncomfortable the United States Government is in fact of having

02:18these arguments aired because this case, the fact is that this case is an attack on journalism,

02:25it's an attack on the public's right to know and it should never have been brought.

02:29Julian should never have spent a single day in prison.

02:32Today we celebrate because today Julian is free.

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