The release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from a British prison is «a victory» for journalism and press freedom, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday.
“We are hugely relieved that Julian Assange is finally free – a long overdue victory for journalism and press freedom,” RSF campaign director Rebecca Vincent said in a statement.
Assange had been in a British prison since 2019, after spending over seven years in refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in the United Kingdom.
Vincent said that Assange, wanted by the United States for leaking classified documents, “never should have spent a single day” deprived of his liberty for publishing information in “the public interest.”
“Nothing can undo the past 13 years, but it is never too late to do the right thing, and we welcome this move by the US government,” she added.
According to WikiLeaks, Assange left Belmarsh high-security prison in London on Jun. 24, after spending 1,901 days awaiting the outcome of extradition proceedings initiated by the US government.
He was granted bail at the High Court in London and then boarded a plane at Stansted Airport to reunite with his family in Australia.
RSF said that Assange, who has “unjustly” spent years in prison for “exposing war crimes and human rights abuses,» is being freed after reaching “a plea deal” with the US justice system.
Assange is now expected to plead guilty to one charge instead of the 18 he was previously facing, with the five-year term he has served in the UK to be taken into account.
The Australian citizen was previously facing up to 175 years in prison on 18 counts related to WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of more than 250,000 leaked classified military and diplomatic documents.
RSF said that Assange’s release, which comes after a years-long global campaign, brings “enormous relief” to his family and journalists worldwide.
However, RSF noted that it is “deeply alarming” that Assange had been deprived of his liberty for publishing material that was both “true and of enormous public interest,” while there has been “no accountability for the crimes” exposed in the leaked documents.
“On a personal level, Assange’s incarceration has taken a huge toll on his mental and physical health,” RSF said.
