Assange freed.

Nation First reports on Julian Assange's release from prison.

Dear friend,

Julian Assange is a free man after spending over five years in England’s notorious Belmarsh prison and, prior to that, being effectively under house arrest in the Ecuadorian embassy for almost seven years.

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• Julian Assange is free after over five years in Belmarsh Prison and nearly seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy.

• A plea deal with the U.S. reduced his charges to misdemeanour mishandling of classified information.

• Assange will plead guilty remotely from Saipan, avoiding extradition to the U.S.A.

• The time he served in the U.K. counts toward his sentence, likely leading to immediate release.

• His mother, Christine, expressed gratitude for the resolution and thanked those who supported Assange quietly.

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His release from prison follows a plea deal between Assange’s legal team and the United States which downgraded the charges against the Australian journalist to the misdemeanour of mishandling classified information rather than the severe espionage charges that were against him.

Assange will, reportedly, plead guilty to this downgraded charge.

Under the original charges, if found guilty, Assange could have been sentenced for up to 175 years in prison.

How so?

Assange was charged with 17 counts under the USA’s Espionage Act for his role in obtaining and publishing classified information.

Each count under the Espionage Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison​.

Additionally, he faced one count under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which relates to conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

This charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

If Assange had been convicted on all counts and received the maximum penalty for each, he could theoretically be sentenced to 175 years in prison (17 counts of 10 years each plus 1 count of 5 years)​.

Under the downgraded charge, the time served in the United Kingdom will count towards his sentence and, it is presumed, will mean he has completed his sentence following the trial, and will be free to go.

The other condition of the deal insisted upon by Assange’s legal team was that he not have to step foot in the United States.

As such, his presumably guilty plea will be entered in a court in Saipan, part of US territory.

In fact, Assange is en route to Saipan right now.

The ordeal caps off what has been an emotional rollercoaster for many close to the case, particularly Assange’s mother, Christine, whom I’ve been in contact with now for years.

Christine issued a statement earlier today in which she said:

I am grateful that my son’s ordeal is finally coming to an end.

This shows the importance and power of quiet diplomacy.

Many have used by son’s situation to push their own agendas, so I am grateful to those unseen, hard-working people who put Julian’s welfare first.

The past 14 years has obviously taken a toll on me as a mother, so I wish to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy.

The reference to quiet diplomacy is part of an effort that I have been involved with from the sidelines for years now.

I visited Julian Assange in Belmarsh prison back in early 2020 (prior to the pandemic alarmism), where I got a sense of his situation and the intricacies of the charges against him.

Meetings were held with US Embassy staff here in Australia, Foreign Ministers past and present and, current Australian parliamentarians also took the case to Washington D.C. in meetings with Congressmen and Senators.

Without undermining Christine’s statement, this development is bittersweet, given that a guilty plea has to be entered.

I want to make it clear: I have read this case thoroughly, and Assange is not guilty of anything.

The claims of conspiracy boiled down to the fact that Assange’s news outlet Wikileaks solicited for secret information from whistleblowers and that the leaker (Bradley Manning) was advised how they could get the information to Wikileaks.

This is akin to a newspaper reporter asking publicly for tip-offs and then telling someone how they can email or post the information to their newspaper.

That Assange is now being charged with mishandling classified information is an affront to national sovereignty.

He is not a US citizen, nor was he in the United States when the alleged crime was being committed, and thus, he shouldn’t be subject to US laws.

Or is the law of the United States now to apply to the entire world?

So should we cheer for White House resident Joe Biden for this crumb from the table? Most certainly not!

I sincerely doubt that this deal would have even eventuated if it were not for the fact that, about a month ago, President Donald J. Trump indicated he would be willing to pardon Julian Assange if he won the next election (and it wasn’t stolen from him).

As an aside, that statement may not have eventuated if it weren’t for the intervention of Senator Alex Antic who met with Trump late last year (during the aforementioned Washington D.C. tour by Australian parliamentarians) and who spoke about Assange’s case with the President.

So Biden has basically been pressured into delivering a sub-par deal that undermines key freedoms including freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and thus undermines the US Constitution.

That just about sums up the Biden “presidency”.

Nonetheless, the fact that Julian Assange is now a free man is cause for celebration.

And ultimately, it shows that we can win even the most Herculean of battles, as this one was.

Until next time, God bless you, your family and nation.

Take care,

George Christensen

P.S. I will have more to say on the Julian Assange case in the coming week, including about Hillary Clinton and the death of Seth Rich. In the meantime, here’s an array of past Assange-related reporting by Nation First along with speeches regarding his case that I gave to the Australian Parliament when I was a federal politician:

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George Christensen is a former Australian politician, a Christian, freedom lover, conservative, blogger, podcaster, journalist and theologian. He has been feted by the Epoch Times as a “champion of human rights” and his writings have been praised by Infowars’ Alex Jones as “excellent and informative”.

George believes Nation First will be an essential part of the ongoing fight for freedom:

“The time is now for every proud patriot to step to the fore and fight for our freedom, sovereignty and way of life. Information is a key tool in any battle and the Nation First newsletter will be a valuable tool in the battle for the future of the West.”

— George Christensen.

Find more about George at his www.georgechristensen.com.au website.

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Authorised by G. Christensen, River Street, Mackay