Wikileaks founder and whistleblower Julian Assange returned to Australia on Wednesday to enjoy his newfound freedom, after an agreement with the American justice system which ended a legal saga of nearly 14 years. The private plane transporting him landed on Wednesday evening at Canberra airport, where dozens of journalists were present, an AFP team noted. His white hair pulled back, the Australian raised his fist as he emerged from the plane, then strode onto the tarmac to kiss his wife Stella, lifting her off the ground, then his father.
“He needs to recover”
During a press conference, Stella Assange later explained that her husband needed privacy and time to recover after more than five years in a high-security prison in London. “He needs time, he needs to recover and it’s a whole process”she said, seeming on the verge of tears. “I’m asking you to please give us space, give us privacy, let us find our place, let our family be family before he can speak again, at the time of his choice”. “Julian needs to recover, that’s the priority. And it’s a fact that Julian will always defend human rights, will always defend victims, because that’s how he is.”according to Stella Assange.
A lawyer for Julian Assange, Jen Robinson, said the Wikileaks founder spoke to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese when the plane landed and “told the Prime Minister that he had saved his life”. Earlier in the day, Julian Assange, 52, was released after a quick hearing at the US federal court in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands. Julian Assange will not be allowed to return to the United States without authorization, the US Department of Justice said.
