Julian Assange plea deal – live: Stella Assange wants ‘new chapter’ and says kids unaware father to be freed

Stella Assange, the wife of the WikiLeaks founder, said their children are “not yet” aware that their father has been released from prison and the couple are looking forward to starting a “new chapter” after his release from prison.

Julian Assange walked out of Belmarsh prison at 5pm on Monday and was taken to Stansted Airport before boarding a flight to Bangkok which has landed for refuelling.

He will appear in court on Wednesday in Saipan, a US territory that is part of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific. He is expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified US national defence information.

Asked if she had told their children, Ms Assange told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “Not yet. All I told them was that there was a big surprise and on the morning that we left, I told them we were heading to the airport and we got on the plane and I told them that we were going to visit our family, their cousin, their grandfather and so on.”

Key Points

• Julian Assange’s children ‘not yet aware’ their father released from prison

• WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be seeking a pardon, says wife

• Stella Assange says top priority for Julian is to “get healthy again”

• Julian Assange’s plane lands in Bangkok

• Australian PM says envoy flying with Assange from London

07:07 , Shweta Sharma

Good morning. Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Julian Assange’s expected release from prison

Julian Assange’s plane lands in Bangkok

07:22 , Shweta Sharma

A plane believed to be carrying Julian Assange from the UK has just landed in Bangkok on its way to Saipan.

The first pictures of the aircraft have been released by the Associated Press.

The Wikileaks founder is set to appear in a court in Saipan in the Western Pacific at 9am local time on Wednesday.

It comes as the 52-year-old Australian transparency activist has agreed to plead guilty to a charge under the Espionage Act in exchange for avoiding further imprisonment.

The agreement marks an end to 14 years of legal struggles for the Wikileaks founder, who repeatedly drew the ire of Western officials for exposing government secrets.

Julian Assange flies out of UK after reaching plea deal with US government

07:25 , Shweta Sharma

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from Belmarsh prison and flown out of the UK as he prepares to enter a guilty plea as part of a deal with the US Justice Department that could bring an end to his long-running legal saga.

Assange, 52, boarded a flight from Stansted airport at 5pm UK time on Monday, ahead of an appearance later this week in the federal court in the Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Western Pacific. He was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information by the US government.

According to a new filing from the DOJ, proceedings in the Mariana Islands are due to take place on Wednesday morning, where Assange will plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information. He is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served at a hearing on the island of Saipan at 9am local time.

The charges against Assange in the US stem from one of the largest publications of classified information in American history, which took place during the first term of Barack Obama’s presidency.

My colleagues bring you the full details.

Julian Assange flies out of UK after reaching plea deal with US government

Who is Julian Assange and what secrets is he accused of leaking?

07:33 , Shweta Sharma

After many years of legal battles and controversy, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to plead guilty as part of a plea deal with the US Justice Department.

According to the documents, he is scheduled to appear in the federal court in the Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Western Pacific, on Wednesday, and will plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information.

The 52-year-old Australian was catapulted into the global spotlight in 2009 after he and his site WikiLeaks were linked to one of the largest publications of classified information in American history.

Along with Chelsea Manning, a military intelligence analyst, Assange was accused of disclosing tens of thousands of activity reports about the war in Afghanistan.

Read the full story here.

Who is Julian Assange and what secrets is he accused of leaking?

Assange’s plane to depart for Saipan shortly after refueling stop

07:42 , Shweta Sharma

The plane believed to be carrying Julian Assange will depart for Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, from Bangkok.

The chartered flight VJT199 landed afternoon at Don Mueang International Airport, north of the Thai capital, for a refueling stop, reported the Associated Press.

Mr Assange is expected to return to his home country of Australia after his plea and sentencing.

‘Julian Assange is free’: First message from Wikileaks

07:43 , Shweta Sharma

Breaking the news of Julian Assange’s release from a UK prison, Wikileaks said their founder will soon reunite with his family, including his children, who have only known their father from behind bars.

“Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there,” the organisation said in a post.

“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,” it added.

The post said that he lived in a 2x3 metre cell and was isolated 23 hours a day for five years.

“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,” it said.

Julian Assange’s mother grateful her son’s ‘ordeal’ is ending

07:50 , Shweta Sharma

The mother of Julian Assange said that she is grateful that her son’s “ordeal is finally coming to an end” after the Wikileaks founder was released from UK jail.

Mr Assange’s father said the news was “wonderful” and “energising”.

“I am grateful that my son’s ordeal is finally coming to an end,” his mother, Christine Assange, said in a statement.

“This shows the importance and power of quiet diplomacy.”

She blamed many individuals who “have used my son’s situation to push their own agendas”.

She added that she was “grateful to those unseen, hard-working people who put Julian’s welfare first”.

“The past 14 years has obviously taken a toll on me as a mother, so I wish to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy,” she said.

His father, John Shipton, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the breakthrough was “wonderful”.

“It is energising,” Mr Shipton said.

“I don’t fade easily, you know – and neither does Julian. It must be a family trait.”

Assange’s wife shares picture of husband calling from UK

07:59 , Shweta Sharma

Stella Assange, Julian Assange’s wife, has shared a screenshot of a phone call with her husband.

She said “Julian calling into Sydney from Stansted airport last night (his day time)”.

In a previous post, she said: “Julian is free”.

“Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true”.

Australian PM says envoy flying with Assange from London

08:08 , Shweta Sharma

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, who has been lobbying for the United States to end its prosecution of Julian Assange, told parliament that an Australian envoy had flown with Assange from London.“Regardless of the views that people have about Mr Assange‘s activities, the case has dragged on for too long.

“There’s nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration and we want him brought home to Australia,” Mr Albanese added.

Mr Albanese is being applauded for his relentless efforts in lobbying for release of Mr Assange while the previous Australian government treaded on the issue cautiously.

Before becoming the prime minister, Mr Albanese also suggested that he did not see what purpose was served by keeping Assange jailed. It became the official stance of the government when he came to power in 2022.

Don’t judge Julian Assange for taking US plea deal, says Australian MP

08:13 , Shweta Sharma

Labour Party MP Julian Hill said Australia-born Assange’s “health is fragile” and he should not be judged for accepting a guilty plea deal with the US Justice Department in order to return home.

“No one should judge Julian for accepting a deal to get the hell out of there and come home. His health is fragile,” Mr Hill said. “Whatever you think of Assange he is an Australian and enough is enough.”

Australia is looking forward to welcoming Julian Assange “home” after his 14-year legal ordeal, prime minister Anthony Albanese has said, as the Wikileaks founder reached a plea deal with US prosecutors.

Read the full report here.

Don’t judge Julian Assange for taking US plea deal, says Australian MP

Wikileaks editor says blocking of extradition to US played huge role

08:28 , Shweta Sharma

Kristinn Hrafnsson, the editor of WikiLeaks, said the appeal against Julian Assange’s extradition to the US was “tremendously important” in the battle for his freedom.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Hrafnsson said the campaign had gathered momentum in recent weeks following the growing involvement of Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.

Mr Hrafnsson was one of the last people to visit Assange in Belmarsh prison in London earlier this month.

He added: “This is the result of a long, long process which has been going on for some time. It has been a tough battle, but the focus now is on Julian being reunited with his family.

“The most important thing is that Julian is free and he is finally able to enjoy the big blue sky. Details of what will happen now will come out in the next 24 hours.

“His family will be waiting for him in Australia.”

Stella Assange says top priority for Julian is to “get healthy again”

08:38 , Shweta Sharma

Julian Assange’s wife Stella Assange says she has gone through a “whirlwind of emotions” in the past 24 hours after he walked out of Belmarsh Prison and boarded a flight to leave the UK.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said the top priority for Mr Assange is to “get healthy again”, to be in touch with nature and to have “time and privacy”.

“I mean, I’m just elated. Frankly, it’s just incredible. It feels like it’s not real,” she said.

Asked about the conversations that led to his release, Ms Assange said: “Well, it’s been so touch and go, we weren’t really sure until the last 24 hours that it was actually happening.

“We were talking about - I don’t know, what he needed to do and take from his cell and I also had to pack things up, and head out to Australia 24 hours before he left.

“So it’s just been non-stop for the past, I think, 72 hours.”

Julian Assange’s brother reveals what future holds for him: ‘He is overwhelmed’

09:00 , Joe Middleton

Julian Assange is “overwhelmed” to be out of prison, his brother Gabriel Shipton has said.

The WikiLeaks founder, 52, has been released from Belmarsh and flown out of the UK as he prepares to enter a guilty plea as part of a deal with the US Justice Department that could bring an end to his long-running legal saga.

He was charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information by the US government.

Mr Assange is due to be sentenced to 62 months of time already served at a hearing in the federal court in the Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Western Pacific, on Wednesday 26 June.

His brother, Mr Shipton, discussed his release from prison with Sky News.

Julian Assange’s brother reveals what future holds for him: ‘He is overwhelmed’

Stella Assange: My husband will be a free man after plea deal is signed off

09:08 , Joe Middleton

The wife of Julian Assange said her husband will “be a free man” once a plea deal with the US is “signed off by a judge”.

Asked if the case involved Mr Assange pleading guilty to one charge, Stella Assange told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “Yes, the charge concerns the Espionage Act, and obtaining and disclosing national defence information.”

Ms Assange, a lawyer who has worked on her husband’s legal team, added: “The important thing here is that the deal involved time served - that if he signed it, he would be able to walk free.

“He will be a free man once it has been signed off by a judge and that will happen some time tomorrow.”

More reaction to WikiLeaks founder’s release

09:15 , Joe Middleton

Former Labour leader and independent parliamentary candidate Jeremy Corbyn praised Mr Assange for exposing “the crimes of the powerful” and said his imprisonment was always “a grotesque miscarriage of justice.”

He added on X, formerly Twitter: “Never stop fighting for the truth. Never lose hope. Never, ever give up.”

BBC journalist John Simpson said on X that he was “delighted” that Mr Assange is free and praised Stella Assange and the WikLeaks founder’s legal team for securing his release.

Julian Assange’s children ‘not yet aware’ their father released from prison

09:28 , Joe Middleton

Julian Assange‘s wife Stella said the couple’s children are “not yet” aware that their father has been released from prison.

Asked if she had told their children, Ms Assange told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “Not yet. All I told them was that there was a big surprise and on the morning that we left, I told them we were heading to the airport and we got on the plane and I told them that we were going to visit our family, their cousin, their grandfather and so on.

“They still don’t know - we’ve been very careful because obviously no one can stop a five and a seven-year-old from shouting it from the rooftops at any given moment.

“And because of the sensitivity around the judge having to sign off the deal, we’ve been very careful - just gradually, incrementally telling them information. They’re very excited to be in Australia though.”

Ms Assange said she would tell her children about their father’s release before they see him.

She added: “They’ve never seen him outside of Belmarsh. All their interactions with Julian have been in a single visitors room inside Belmarsh Prison. It’s always been for a little more than an hour at a time. It’s been very restrictive.

“He can’t walk around, he can’t go to the tuck shop - he wasn’t able to go to the tuck shop and buy a chocolate or anything. You see, I have to change my tenses now - it’s been so long that I’m not used to talking about Julian free in the present.”

Watch: Julian Assange's brother reveals what future holds for him

09:43 , Joe Middleton

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be seeking a pardon, says wife

09:55 , Joe Middleton

Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian, told Reuters on Tuesday they would seek a pardon after he pleaded guilty to violating U.S. espionage law, saying the prosecution was a “very serious concern” for journalists around the world.

“The fact that there is a guilty plea, under the Espionage Act in relation to obtaining and disclosing National Defence information is obviously a very serious concern for journalists and national security journalists in general,” she said.

US presidential candidiate Donald Trump has previously indicated he could be willing to offer a pardon to Mr Assange.

In an interview, podcaster Tim Pool, asked Mr Trump: “Will you pardon Julian Assange?”

The former president responded: “Well, I’m going to talk about that today, and we’re going to give it very serious consideration. And we’re going to have a couple of other things to say in the speech that I think you’re going to love.”

Julian Assange: The many twists and turns of Wikileaks founder’s 13-years long legal fight

10:16 , Joe Middleton

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from Belmarsh Prison and flown out of the UK. He is set to enter a guilty plea in a deal with the US Justice Department, potentially concluding his prolonged legal battle.

Here is a timeline of some key dates spanning more than a decade of legal woes for the WikiLeaks founder:

The many twists and turns of Julian Assange’s lengthy legal fight

Assange paid half a million US dollars for flight from Stansted

10:32 , Joe Middleton

Julian Assange had to pay half a million US dollars for a chartered flight from Stansted, accompanied by a WikiLeaks lawyer, a representative of the Australian government and a medic to check on his health.

His wife Stella said she travelled to Australia with the couple’s two young sons Gabriel and Max on Sunday when it became clear that Assange would be freed.

Speaking from Australia, she said: “It is hard to believe that Julian has been in prison for so long. 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.”

Assange’s flight set to take off and enter US airspace

10:59 , Joe Middleton

Stella Assange said that her husband’s flight will soon take off and fly into US airspace.

She said on X: “Julian Assange’s flight VJ199 landed in Bangkok and will soon take off again and fly into US airspace where he will appear before a US judge. Please follow #AssangeJet, we need all eyes on his flight in case something goes wrong.”

Academic says Assange was left with ‘no option’ but to take a plea deal with US

11:10 , Joe Middleton

An academic has said that Julian Assange was left with “no option” but to take a plea deal with US authorities.

Dr Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar, senior lecturer in Journalism at City, University of London said:“Assange accepting a guilty plea sets a dangerous precedent for journalism safety. He should have been freed unconditionally.

“On the other hand, Assange had very little options. He had been incarcerated for several years and pursued by the most powerful country in the world and is in poor health. What else could he do?

“It was apparently the only option left for him to regain his liberty.”

CPS say bail hearing for Assange held in private last Thursday

11:42 , Joe Middleton

The Crown Prosecution Service said a bail hearing for Julian Assange was held in private last Thursday.

Stephen Parkinson, director of public prosecutions, said: “Thirteen-and-a-half years and two extradition requests after he was first arrested, Julian Assange left the UK yesterday, following a bail hearing last Thursday, held in private at his request.

“I am proud of the way our extradition unit has dealt with this case. They have acted with expertise and skill, under international scrutiny, to provide legal advice to both the Swedish and US authorities.

“This case has absorbed considerable time and resource from the criminal justice system over many years. The intended outcome of the plea agreement will be to accomplish the primary objective of delivering justice. It will also save the continuing substantial resource outlay involved in litigating this matter further in England.”

John Sheehan, head of extradition at the CPS, said: “This has been a highly complex matter involving advising and representing the Swedish and US authorities. In this period, the CPS’s extradition unit has faced and dealt with novel and challenging legal issues. Mr Assange has also utilised all the legal protections available to him.

“This has culminated in facilitating the arrangements necessary to enable Mr Assange to leave the UK legally and safely.”