WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet on Wednesday, hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga.

The criminal case of international intrigue, which had played out for years, came to a surprise end in a most unusual setting with Assange, 52, entering his plea in a U.S. district court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. The American commonwealth in the Pacific is relatively close to Assange’s native Australia and accommodated his desire to avoid entering the continental United States.

Assange was accused of receiving and publishing hundreds of thousands of war logs and diplomatic cables that included details of U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. His activities drew an outpouring of support from press freedom advocates, who heralded his role in bringing to light military conduct that might otherwise have been concealed from view and warned of a chilling effect on journalists. Among the files published by WikiLeaks was a video of a 2007 Apache helicopter attack by American forces in Baghdad that killed 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.

Assange raised his right fist as he emerged for the plane and his supporters at the Canberra airport cheered from a distance. Dressed in the same suit and tie he wore during his earlier court appearance, he embraced his wife Stella Assange and father John Shipton who were waiting on the tarmac.

  • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    He helped a government get the candidate of their choice elected by manipulation of data dumps and spent a month before the election screaming how he had more dirt on one candidate.

    • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      I object to the supposition that Russia wanted trump to win. I believe Russia wanted Americans divided and trump was simply a means to that end.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Don’t gaslight me. I remember that Russian agent in October 2016 yelling about Hillary Clinton and stuff he said he had on her. Literally every single time I heard, read, or watched the news his fucking face was there going on and on about the embassy bombing or the emails.

        Sorry your boy sucks Putin off but I am willing to bet when he does the condom doesn’t mysteriously break.

        • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          5 months ago

          it’s not gaslighting. you are making assumptions about motivations that directly contradict what he has said.

          • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Did he or did he not repeatedly claim to have dirt on Hillary Clinton one month before the election?

            No evasions, no reframing, answer the question please.

            • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              5 months ago

              I don’t recall in particular, but even if he did, you are making a leap to claim he was working for Russia or trump

              • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                What part of yes or no question did you not understand?

                I don’t recall works for politicians trying to hide their boy toys, not here.