The founder of Wikileaks, Assange, who was released as a result of the agreement with the USA, returned to his country.

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who accepted the accusation of "violating the espionage law" according to the agreement with the US Department of Justice and was released, was welcomed by his family in the capital Canberra after returning to Australia.

According to ABC News, the plane carrying Assange landed at Canberra Airport at around 19:30 local time. After getting off the plane, Assange was welcomed by his wife Stella Assange, his father John Shipton, and a large group of supporters.

"I AM VERY PLEASED THAT THIS INCIDENT HAS ENDED"

After Assange arrived in Australia, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a statement to the press, saying, "I am very pleased that this incident has ended." Albanese stated that he is aware of the "various opinions" about Assange's actions and said, "But there is nothing to be gained by further imprisoning Assange." Albanese, who said he spoke to Assange on the phone, conveyed his welcome wishes to him.

Jen Robinson, Assange's wife and lawyer, made statements to the press in the lobby of the hotel where Assange stayed. Robinson stated that Assange told Australian Prime Minister Albanese that he "saved his life." Robinson emphasized that Julian Assange is very happy to be home after this long process and highlighted that his return home is a result of "14 years of legal struggle, political initiatives, and public support."

Assange's wife Stella thanked everyone who supported her husband, especially Albanese, and said, "Julian would like to be here to express his thanks, but he needs time to recover." Stella, who argued that her husband should not have spent "even a day" in prison, asked the public to give them time to recover.

ASSANGE'S TRIAL PROCESS

WikiLeaks, founded by Julian Assange, had published 251,000 secret documents that also substantiated the crimes committed by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan on October 28, 2010. Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in June 2012 and was arrested and taken into custody on April 11, 2019, for "violating the conditions of bail." He was then placed in Belmarsh Prison in London. The court sentenced Assange to 50 weeks in prison and decided that he should remain in custody even after completing his sentence within the framework of the extradition request. The High Court ruled on December 10, 2021, that Assange could be extradited to the US. With the Westminster Magistrates' Court ruling for extradition on April 20, 2022, then-Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the decision to extradite Assange to the US on June 17, 2022. Assange's lawyers also filed an appeal with the High Court regarding the decision on July 1, 2022.

The hearings regarding Julian Assange's extradition to the US were held in the High Court on February 20-21, and it was stated that the decision would be given at a later date. On March 26, the court ruled that Assange would not be extradited to the US unless certain assurances were given by the US. As a result of the efforts of the Australian government and the opposition, Assange left Belmarsh Prison in London on June 25 and flew to the Northern Mariana Islands District Court in the US by private plane to go to court. After admitting the accusation of "violating the espionage law" in court, Assange was sentenced to 62 months in prison, but he was released considering the time he spent in prison in the UK.