Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

Meanwhile, they have an orange beanbag presidential hopeful spilling the beans to the whoever around the world and he gets millions of dollars of support, literal legal immunity from anything and 1/3 of the country want him to become their Cheeto leader in Mountain Dew.
- That’s because that orange beanbag seated three associate justices of the Supreme Court, 54 judges for the courts of appeals, 174 district court judges, and three judges for the United States Court of International Trade.
  Even worse, citizens want to let him do it again.
  
  And so much worse.
  
  To be fair, Biden has seated almost as many judges in his term, so that has balanced out at the lower levels. With the very important exception of the Supreme Court.
- Please step into my secure toilet to see the nation's secrets.
  I still can't believe that fucking happened and people just go on ignoring it
- Hey I like mountain dew
- Hey, to the positive, less than 1/3 of the country. First, if you look at vote numbers versus total population in previous elections, as well factoring in as the total population including those that can't vote for various reasons. Then, factor in that the party of shit nazis is disenfranchising remaining R voters at lightning speed, the party is massively in debt in some states and basically ceasing to exist, more of the insurrectionists continue to go to prison, the rest of the crazies end up doing something stupid and get arrested...
  Things are looking up as that fraction heads towards 1/4 and hopefully they'll go back into their stinky rotting little hole where they belong. Their Russian troll daddies just make the presence look larger and more present than they really are.

Good for him - he's less innocent than folks like Chelsea Manning or Edward Snowden but a heavy prosecution of him would definitely have a chilling effect on whistle-blowers. Did he release things at politically convenient times? Yes. Should that be illegal? Fuck no.
- 2016 Assange was a very different person than who he was in 2009. The espionage charges relating to the Chelsea Manning leaks were always bogus, but his involvement with the Trump campaign solidified him as a huge asshole in my mind.
  https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/14/563996442/donald-trump-jr-had-direct-contact-with-wikileaks-during-campaign
  Even back then, WikiLeaks was telling trump to claim the election was rigged and stolen. These are not the actions of a whistleblower, and it's clear he was not a whistleblower (or working with whistleblowers) during this period and likely a mouthpiece for Russia to sow division in the US.
  
  Agreed. Assange is not the good guy in this. No one is in this.
- but a heavy prosecution of him would definitely have a chilling effect on whistle-blowers
  As if the last decade plus of his life were not enough for that. Better than a life sentence, yeah.

Legendary. That's him cleared in Sweden, UK, and the US. Apparently they're considering letting him return to Australia (his home country) as well. Godspeed, Assange!
- Thats the catch, he has to fly home in a Boeing.
  
  A whole new meaning to defenestration.
  
  haha oh
- "Cleared" is an interesting way to describe "pleaded guilty and sentenced to 62 months in prison." Dude just already served 5 years.
  
  With time already served

Now the right will hate Assange lol

This is a real win for Biden. Despite all of Trump's praise for Wikileaks, he did nothing about Assange.
Of course, this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't an election year, but it's still a win.
- In my opinion, absolutely. His legal exile lasted far too long... I think most people won't even know this happened unless the late night shows pick it up.
  
  I wonder how many people even remember who he is without a refresher at this point. The general public's memory is short.
- If only our politicians fought as hard for things during the non-election years too.
  
  This shit is so frustrating.
  YOU apathetic fuckers don't PAY ATTENTION when it's not an election year.
  Stuff is still happening when you aren't looking at it.
  
  ...especially once they're serving their* second term.
  [edit] they're, their, there

I'm glad he is finally free and I'm always thankful to anyone who exposes war crimes and whistleblowers.

This seems like a big deal.

If Assange wasn't in US territory when revealed classified information, why is he being judged by the US?
Was not the US should be judging the one/s who filtered the information and not who publish it?
- u/@zabadoh@ani.social explained how
  the reason is that the US can exercise such authority in practice with any consequences.
  a bigger concern here is his native government's limp dick response tbh
  aint he from AU?
  
  the US can exercise such authority
  Many countries have the authority to prosecute crimes that occur on their soil even if the perpetrator is outside the country. Including Assange's native country.
  The foreign interference crimes apply to conduct that occurs in Australia. So, if the perpetrator was in Australia at the time they engaged in interference, then prosecuting them would be relatively straightforward, provided there was sufficient evidence. If an offender is outside Australia at the time of the interference, they could still be charged with a crime.
- Anyone involved in a crime committed on US soil can be charged with the crime.
  Do you suppose hacking your computer should be legal provided the hacker is in Russia?
  
  If it's legal in Russia, they should not extradite.
  If I post this picture to VK from my home in the US, should I be extradited to Russia for it?
  
  Assange personally hacked the alleged computer in US soil? Cos as I see it he published classified information from outside the US so my question would be, you can be judged for publish classified information of the US even if you are not a US citizen? As far as I know the person/s accountable for the crime are ones who probably right now are working for the US govt..
- US courts can still try him in absentia, i.e. if he's not present in the courtroom.
  If he's in a country with an extradition treaty with the US, e.g. the UK, he can be extradited to the US for the trial or with a conviction.
  
  No, the SCOTUS has made clear that you cannot be tried in abstentia.
  This case requires us to decide whether Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 43 permits the trial in absentia of a defendant who absconds prior to trial and is absent at its beginning. We hold that it does not.

Great seeing far more sensible comments here compared with c/technology
Always suprising to see more on a whistle blower than the guys that actually did the war crime.

Watch them arrest him the second he lands.
- If I were him I'd never set foot in the US again.

- why so much downvote...
  This is right, right thing to do and the motive called out is likely true...
  If you disagree, please state your reasoning.
  
  Merrick Garland and his DOJ are absolutely not taking marching orders from the Whitehouse. Garland also doesn't give two shits about politics. Dude's rigidly ethical
  
  You’re right, the President should basically do nothing in the year before an election. Everything must be accomplished in the first three years, then we take a break.
  Edit: (Assuming POTUS was even involved)
  
  I guess a lot of people just got feelz about this one lol
  
  Lemmy dogpiles much more than reddit ever does. All one can do is upvote but it's moot.
  Downvotes should max out at 5.
  eta:
  pud(proof)ding