Julian Assange struck a plea deal and will go free! I am overjoyed. He's a generational hero.
The bad news is that he had to plea guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense info. Which means the US security state succeeded in criminalizing journalism and extending their jurisdiction globally to non-citizens.
Julian had to take this. He has heart problems and he would have died in prison. But the security state has imposed a horrifying precedent and dealt a big blow to freedom of the press.
JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE
Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.
This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised. We will provide more information as soon as possible.
After more than five years in a 2x3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars.
WikiLeaks published groundbreaking stories of government corruption and human rights abuses, holding the powerful accountable for their actions. As editor-in-chief, Julian paid severely for these principles, and for the people's right to know.
As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom.
Julian's freedom is our freedom.
[More details to follow]
Julian Assange is free following a plea deal.
While his release is great news, he never should have been charged under the Espionage Act, an unconstitutional and abusive law that has no place in a free society.
It’s a weapon of selective enforcement that violates due process and threatens free speech.
Repeal it now.
Julian Assange has spent years in prison--in the absence of any conviction--for the "crime" of committing an act of journalism: publishing information that the government itself has acknowledged to be true and correct.
End his persecution. Free Julian Assange!
#FreeAssange
Since Princeton University is removing Woodrow Wilson's name from its buildings due to his racist thinking and policies, I think we should also repeal the Federal Income Tax and The Federal Reserve, as both acts were signed into law by Wilson. Letting either law stand is racist.
.@JoyTaylorTalks reacts to the Raiders benching Derek Carr
“Get up out of there... You're going to get to go somewhere that wants you, that needs you, and you’re going to get an opportunity to show that this dysfunction isn’t because of you.”