Wife reveals Julian Assange’s next moves after he steps foot on Australian soil for the first time in 15 years

The wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has revealed what her husband will do after he touched down on Australian soil as a free man for the first time in 15 years.

Ms Assange was emotional on Wednesday while she appeared on The Project and asked about what her husband’s plans were.

“He wants to go swimming in the ocean every day and he wants to teach our children how to catch crabs,” Ms Assange said.

“I think he wants to go to the beach.”

She told the panel of hosts she cried “happy tears” upon Mr Assange’s release, saying she “couldn’t quite believe it”.While she was sad she wasn’t there, Ms Assange said she had been preparing her son’s to see their father for the first time outside prison.

“I’ve been talking about the many things that we’ll do when he comes home,” she said.

“That we’ll go to Australia together and when we go to Australia, it will be when daddy is there.”

She acknowledged it would take time to get used to knowing her husband out of confinement and restrictions.

Ms Assange said the restrictions had become “internalised”, saying her husband needs “space and time” to process.

When asked what the first thing her husband said to her, she said it was that he missed her.

“That he missed me and he couldn’t wait to see me later tonight and all the things that we’re going to do over the next few days, weeks,” she said.

“OVERCOME BY EMOTION”

In a tiny conference room in Canberra’s East Hotel, well in excess of a hundred journalists, photographers and supporters of Mr Assange gathered to hear from members of his legal team as well as his wife.

But rowdy supporters continued to attempt to charge inside the room, demanding they could also hear from the group.

Ms Assange admitted she was “overcome by emotion” at the moment she embraced her husband on the tarmac in Canberra.

“There were crowds cheering, that I didn’t even know were there, behind a fence, because it was dark,” she said.

“And then I heard them cheer more and there were flashes.

“And then I turned the corner and then I saw that Julian was coming.

“And we embraced and I mean, I think you’ve seen the pictures.”

Ms Assange held back tears as she reflected on her husband’s freedom after 14 years in prison and what his future might look like going forward.

She said her husband wanted to be there in person to thank everyone, but he needed some time alone.

“Julian needs time to recover,” she said.

“To get used to freedoms. Someone told me yesterday who had been through something similar, that freedom comes slowly.

“And I want Julian to have that space to rediscover freedom, slowly.

“Julian should never have spent a single day in prison. But today, we celebrate, because today, Julian is free.”

“YOU SAVED MY LIFE”

Mr Assange’s lawyer Jennifer Robinson said her client had told Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, “you saved my life”, when the two spoke for the first time.

“I don’t think that is an exaggeration,” she said.

Ms Robinson told media her client is “absolutely delighted” to arrive home following “long and complex” negotiation with the government.

She said the development was a “huge win” for Australia and showed that Mr Albanese had “stood up to our ally”, the US.

“That Julian came home today is the product of 14 long years of legal battles, political advocacy and ongoing campaigning — not just by us, but by so many people in this community,” she said.

Ms Robinson said the guilty plea deal means Mr Assange will spend no more time in prison.

“In order to win his freedom, Julian pleaded guilty to conspiracy to committing espionage for publishing US war crimes, human rights abuses and wrongdoing around the world,” she said.

She blasted what she called the “criminalisation of journalism” in her remarks.

“It’s important that journalists all around the world understand the dangerous precedent that this prosecution has set,” she said.

“HE WILL BE PARDONED”

Mr Assange released classified material on Wikileaks about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, in some cases in raw or unredacted form.

The US Department of Justice said on Tuesday his actions had put the lives of human rights advocates and journalists at risk.

Wikileaks published material from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 US Presidential election, which is widely thought to have caused embarrassment to the Hillary Clinton campaign and boosted the prospects of her opponent Donald Trump.

On Wednesday night, Ms Robinson defended those actions.

“There’s clearly public interest in the DNC materials released by Wikileaks and in terms of the legality of the publications, there’s a US court decision showing that it had the highest possible protection of the first amendment,” she said.

Ms Assange called on the press to call for Mr Assange’s pardon, saying his admission of guilt set a dangerous precedent for journalism.

“I think that he will be pardoned if the press unite to push back against this precedent,” she said.

“Because it affects all of you. It affects your future ability to warn the public and to publish without fear.”

7.37PM ARRIVAL IN AUSTRALIA

Pressed up against the fence, hundreds watched on as Mr Assange’s plane taxied across the runway.

Australian Border Force officials entered the plane to greet the WikiLeaks founder, ensuring he cleared customers before stepping foot on Australian soil and ending his journey home.

A RAISED FIST FOR FREEDOM

Stepping foot onto Australian soil, Mr Assange raised his fist to a large crowd who cheered him on, before he made the short walk across the tarmac to cheers from his supporters.

Mr Assange gave a triumpant wave, before embracing his wife, Stella Assange, who has relentlessly campaigned for his release.

Ms Assange shared a one-word tweet to X to celebrate her husband’s return.

“Home,” she wrote, accompanying a photo of the pair embracing.

Mr Assange then greeted other family members before again turning to the crowd and waving with cheers ringing out across the runway on a chilly Canberra evening.

He then embraced his father before giving another wave to the crowd.

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