President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party) celebrated the release of Australian journalist Julian Assange, freed on Monday (24) after five years in London's Belmarsh maximum security prison.
"Today, the world is a little better and less unjust. Julian Assange is free after 1,901 days in prison. His release and return home, albeit belatedly, is a victory for democracy and the fight for press freedom," said the Brazilian president.
Assange flew to a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory in the Pacific, where the hearing to formalize the agreement will occur. The activist has agreed to plead guilty to revealing US military secrets in exchange for his freedom. Assange will then travel to his native Australia.
After pleading guilty, Assange is expected to be sentenced to 62 months in prison. The time, however, is less than the five years he has already served in jail, resulting in his release after the hearing.
The news of the activist's release was published by WikiLeaks, which Assange owns and through which he published information about crimes committed by the US military in campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, in the so-called "war on terror.”
Julian Assange's wife, Stella Assange, expressed concern about her husband's trip. "We need all eyes on his flight in case something goes wrong," Stella wrote on her X profile. "Julian won't be safe until he lands in Australia. Please keep tracking his flight."
In addition to Lula, other Latin American progressive leaders celebrated Assange’s release, such as former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
