Secret files, sexual assault allegations, holed up in a foreign embassy in London, and then locked up in a high security British jail - Julian Assange's life has been tumultuous and strange
Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, hold placards outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on December 10, 2021 Photo: AFP
The saga of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has come to an end - for now, at least.
Last week, the WikiLeaks founder appeared in a US court in the Mariana Islands, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Espionage Act, then flew back to Canberra thanks to time already served in jail.
His legal battles have been going on for so long that many have lost track of the extraordinary story. On today's episode of The Detail, Crikey political reporter Anton Nilsson takes us through Assange's protracted legal and other dramas, which have spanned 14 years, beginning with the most recent developments.
"There was kind of a surprise plea deal all of a sudden. There seems to have been a lot of behind-the-scenes work by his lawyers in the US and the UK and the Australian government to make it happen, and he all of a sudden was headed toward the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific to front a judge, and plead guilty to one count, and was allowed free."
Nilsson says that this was unexpected, even to those who followed the story closely.
"We've heard rumours of plea deals from time to time," he says.
"In March the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Justice Department was considering whether Assange could plead guilty to a reduced charge of mishandling classified information and avoid setting foot in the US, which is pretty similar to what ended up happening, but at the time Assange's lawyers were downplaying that.
"It seemed perhaps a bit hopeful, at least I didn't expect that it would happen so soon after."
The story starts in 2006 when Assange launched WikiLeaks, a platform he used to leak classified documents, diplomatic cables and state secrets.
In 2010 he leaked nearly half a million documents about America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, raising the ire of leadership in much of the western world.
Since then, he's faced sexual assault allegations from Sweden, charges for skipping bail in the UK, indictments from the US, seven years holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and a further five in a high security British prison.
Amid all that he got married, had two children, and attracted high-profile supporters including Lady Gaga and Pamela Anderson.
Now that he's finally home, Assange's family says he needs time to rest and recover. How long that takes remains to be seen.
"His dad has said that he's going to walk up and down the beach and feel the sand beneath his toes and enjoy his freedom and regular life for a bit," Nilsson says.
"There's no telling what he's going to do next, but I would be surprised if we've heard the last from him."
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