Julian Assange is on his way to freedom – but the fight is far from over | Julian Assange

During one of the many conversations I had with Julian Assange while he was at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, I asked him what he would do first if he could leave the building.

“I looked at the sky,” he said, calmly.

That was in 2016, and by that time he had already gone more than 2,500 days without seeing the sky.

Three years later, in April 2019, he was finally “allowed” to leave the embassy, ​​but he was not given a single moment to look at the sky.

British police raided the building, arrested him and quickly transferred him to the high-security Belmarsh prison in south London, where he would remain imprisoned and essentially in solitary confinement for the next five years.

I’ve known Julian for over nine years, but I’ve never known him as a free man.

His two sons, now five and seven, also never got to see their father as a free man.

This injustice finally and hopefully appears to be coming to an end.

As I write this, Julian is on a plane in the sky, flying toward an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is under US jurisdiction.

When he gets there, he will face an American judge and plead guilty to a “crime” – a charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents. He will then be sentenced to “time already served” and will hopefully return to his native Australia a free man.

So today is a day of celebration. One of the bravest editors of our time is – finally – on his way to freedom.

As we celebrate Julian’s freedom, however, we must not close our eyes to the serious crime that is being simultaneously committed not only against him, but also against journalism and freedom of expression.

Today, Julian is being forced to plead guilty to a made-up “crime” after years of arbitrary detention, but those responsible for the real crimes he exposed – the murder of Reuters journalists and Iraqi civilians by US forces, among others – are still walking free.

Today, by releasing Julian Assange under these conditions – forcing him to plead guilty to the “crime” of journalism and holding power to account – the US empire is once again trying to intimidate journalists, editors and activists around the world. who dare to put the spotlight on their own, very real and very deadly crimes.

I can’t help but ask: can any of us really consider ourselves free if the basic principles of journalism, such as protecting sources and revealing the crimes of our governments, are now being treated as crimes?

Will we really be free if it is not those who committed the crimes exposed by Wikileaks, or the crimes that are today broadcast live on our phones from Gaza, but rather Julian Assange who is being forced to “plead guilty”?

On this day, as Julian flies to his freedom, I want to hope and say, “Yes, against all odds, we are still, to some extent, free.”

And we will remain free as long as there are people like Julian Assange, like Chelsea Manning, like Edward Snowden, who dare to question the conduct of our governments and expose their brutality. We will remain free as long as principled journalists and editors, whistleblowers and political prisoners around the world continue to speak truth to power, regardless of the consequences.

We are free and we will remain free as long as those who campaigned for Julian’s freedom for so many years, thousands of people from all walks of life around the world, continue to fight for journalism, free speech and justice.

All those years ago, during our conversation at the Ecuadorian Embassy, ​​Julian told me that although he wanted to “look at the sky,” he didn’t resent not being able to do so.

“This isn’t a price I found because I didn’t understand how the world works,” he told me. “That’s the price I knew I would pay, not this specific price, but a price like this. Yes, the situation is difficult, but I’m sure there are prices to pay for what you believe in.”

Julian indeed paid a high price for what he believed. He faced unimaginable abuse for doing courageous, crucial and indispensable journalism. He spent years without being able to look at the blue sky like a free man.

But in the end, he won. And he taught us a very important lesson. During the years of arbitrary, illegal and unjust detention, he managed not to abandon his principles. He knew how the world works and the high price he would have to pay to change it. And he took that price with pride and conviction.

He showed us how to fight for what we believe in.

Wikileaks just published a photo of him looking at the sky through the window of his plane. I found so much joy and hope in that photo. Of course, war criminals from the US to Israel are still free, and many around the world still face persecution, abuse and legal warfare for daring to expose their excesses. But seeing Julian on his way to freedom makes me believe we are making progress. The movement for justice and accountability is now stronger, more united and determined than ever.

Let’s celebrate Julian’s freedom when he arrives safely on Australian soil and is reunited with his family. Let’s rejoice in the fact that once there, he will be able to look at the sky whenever he wants.

But then, let’s remember that the forces that took away your freedom in the first place, the forces that still threaten our freedoms today, have not yet been defeated. And we will continue with the hard work of fighting for what we believe in.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.