Explainer: Why is Julian Assange flying to the tiny Pacific island of Saipan?

After several years of fighting extradition to the US, the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange is a free man. But it comes at a cost.

After several years of fighting extradition to the United States over leaking confidential military documents, the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with US prosecutors.

The plea deal comes as Assange pleads guilty to a charge of violating the Espionage Act. Since he has spent the last five years in a London jail, prosecutors will then accept time served, thus leaving the WikiLeaks founder a free man.

His wife Stella has confirmed he will live in Australia with her and their two young children.

Julian Assange on a flight to Australia posted on WikiLeaks X page with the caption "Approaching Bangkok airport for layover. Moving closer to freedom". Picture: X

WHO IS JULIAN ASSANGE AND WHAT ARE THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM?

Julian Assange, 52, was born in Townsville in Queensland, Australia. He founded WikiLeaks in 2006 while still living in Australia.

Already a notorious hacker, he had been found guilty by a Melbourne court in 1991 for 31 counts of cybercrime.

WikiLeaks is estimated to have released more than 700,000 sensitive and classified documents.

Assange was accused of conspiring with US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak information that put “American citizens and soldiers at serious risk of harm”.

The US Department of Justice said the leaks were “one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States”.

Assange was charged with 18 offences under the Espionage Act of 1917.

WHAT DID THE LEAKS REVEAL?

WikiLeaks, used as a carriage service for classified information, gained notoriety in 2010 following the leak of sensitive US army intelligence related to the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most memorable in this WikiLeaks trove was a video of a US Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad that killed 11 people, including two journalists.

THREE WORDS THAT GAVE ASSANGE HOPE

In February, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed a motion calling for Mr Assange’s return to Australia.

And signs of promise that Assange may be released came in just three words from US President Joe Biden, back in April.

While entertaining the Japanese Prime Minister, the President and his counterpart were walking through the gardens of the White House when journalists saw an opportunity to launch questions.

One journalist took the opportunity to ask if he had a response to Australia’s request to free Julian Assange.

After appearing not to hear the question, it was repeated.

“We’re considering it,” Biden responded after a moment of consideration.

It was the strongest indication the US had given after almost a decade of lobbying that any action could be afoot.

WHO IS PAYING FOR ASSANGE’S ‘FREEDOM FLIGHT’?

Deputy PM Richard Marles made clear the Federal Government is not paying for Julian Assange’s transport.

“The costs of that are being covered by the Assange team,” Mr Marles said.

“We are facilitating his travel and we are doing all of the consular assistance that we would provide to any Australian in a circumstance such as this.”

Assange’s wife, Stella, has issued an online plea on X, formerly known as Twitter, for help to repay the Australian government $783,000 for her husband’s charter flight to Saipan and then Australia.

It was also shared on the WikiLeaks account on X.

In less than 24 hours since the crowd fundraiser was created, at least $452,000 has already been raised.

Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who spent two years trapped in an Iran prison for espionage, described the cost as “unprecedented”.

“While everyone is frantically scrambling to figure out what, and where, Saipan Island is what is more striking is that the cost to Assange personally for the one way flight from London to Canberra (via Bangkok and Saipan) is estimated at AU$500,000! Is this the largest debt a detainee has been given by DFAT ever, and how on earth is he going to pay it?!,” she tweeted.

HOW HAS ASSANGE FOUGHT EXTRADITION?

Assange has long claimed the case against him is politically motivated and that the charges against him are discriminatory.

He claimed this is due to his Australian citizenship, which does not grant him protection under the United States’ First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.

Julian Assange walking to board a plane from London Stansted Airport. Picture: AFP

WHERE HAS ASSANGE BEEN ALL THESE YEARS?

Assange began living in London’s Ecuadorean embassy from 2012 for fear of further litigation.

His infamy grew during the 2016 US election when WikiLeaks released classified emails belonging to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The emails were stolen from the Democratic National Committee and alleged to have been sourced by hackers under the guidance of the Russian government.

In 2019, Assange was dragged from the embassy by UK police and jailed over an alleged bail breach.

He spent the next five years in high-security Belmarsh Prison, southeast London, awaiting the verdict of US extradition proceedings.

Julian Assange in London after being released from the high-security prison where he was held for five years. Picture: AFP

The alleged bail breach was shortly bolstered by 17 charges under the US Espionage Act.

By 2021, a District Judge determined that Assange had overstepped the role of an investigative journalist but did not grant extradition over concerns that Assange would be at risk of suicide in a US prison.

This was met with an appeal by US prosecutors in the UK’s High Court, which the prosecution won in December 2021.

His extradition to the US was approved in June 2022.

Arrangements were cut short when Assange’s defence won a second bid to appeal the High Court decision in May 2024, leading to Wednesday’s plea deal arrangement and marking the end of 1901 days in prison.

The plane carrying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will stop in Bangkok to refuel. Picture: AFP

WHAT IS THE STATE OF HIS HEALTH?

Assange’s wife Stella has said Assange would not survive extradition and that he was “in a very difficult place” due to the stress.

Upon his release, she has said the couple’s “priority” is for him “to get healthy again - he’s been in a terrible state for five years” and to be in contact with nature.

WHERE IS ASSANGE NOW?

Assange boarded a flight in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, headed for Australia after he was set free.

He is due to arrive in Canberra and later meet with his wife Stella and their two young children who are in Sydney.

Originally published as Explainer: Why is Julian Assange flying to the tiny Pacific island of Saipan?