American officials argued that his actions endangered national security and the lives of US personnel working overseas, but press freedom campaigners said the WikiLeaks documents had exposed US government wrongdoing and that he should be released.
The US charges, which were brought against Assange under Donald Trump’s administration, could have resulted in a custodial sentence of 175 years.
However, the case was complicated by the fact that Assange lived at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, with political asylum status, for seven years from 2012 to 2019.
This came after Swedish prosecutors sought to extradite him on charges of raping one woman and molesting another. He denied the charges, and argued that if he was sent to Sweden he would soon be shipped off to America to face a possible death penalty.
The Ecuadorian government refused British police access to Assange, arguing that any officer who entered the building to arrest him would be in breach of the Vienna Convention on diplomacy.
The relationship between Assange and the embassy eventually broke down, and he left in April 2019 to be arrested by British police on charges of breaching his bail conditions from the earlier case in Sweden, and on behalf of the US authorities.
He was sent to HMP Belmarsh, in south-east London, where his planned extradition was further delayed by a series of legal challenges. In 2021, he had a small stroke while in prison.
Assange’s legal team brought a variety of appeals against the extradition order, including that would likely face the death penalty if convicted in the US, in what he argued would amount to a breach of his human rights.
In April, Joe Biden’s administration provided “binding assurances” to the UK government that Assange would not face the death penalty if he stood trial.
However, the US Justice Department soured on the idea of bringing espionage charges against Assange in recent months.
Both Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, and the Australian parliament urged Mr Biden to construct a plea deal that would allow Assange to return home. The US president said earlier this year that he was “considering” that deal.
Last month, Assange fought off the threat of an immediate extradition to the US while his lawyers worked on an agreement with the American authorities.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Australian prime minister said: “We are aware Australian citizen Mr Julian Assange has legal proceedings scheduled in the United States.
“The Australian Government continues to provide consular assistance to Mr Assange.
“Prime Minister Albanese has been clear – Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration.”
