The WikiLeaks founder touched down in Canberra just after 7.30pm local time yesterday, before walking across the tarmac to embrace his wife.
Supporters who had braved the cold could be heard applauding as he arrived, with some cheering "we love you Julian" and "welcome home".
Assange left a US court in the US Pacific island territory of Saipan a free man after pleading guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified defence documents. He was sentenced to time already served, due to time he had served in Belmarsh prison in London.
His release ends a legal saga that spanned more than a decade in which Assange spent five years in the highsecurity jail and seven years at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, battling extradition to the US where he faced 18 criminal charges. If found guilty, he would have faced a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.
Speaking to reporters outside the Saipan court, his lawyers called the prosecution "unprecedented" and an assault on free speech, but said it was time the fight came to an end.
The US justice department agreed to hold the hearing on the remote island due to Assange's opposition to travelling to the US mainland and because of its proximity to Australia.
This story is from the June 27, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 27, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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