The inside story of how Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was freed | 7.30

As Julian Assange gets used to freedom after 12 years inside the Ecuadorian embassy and Belmarsh prison, new details are emerging about the complex deal that allowed him to return to Australia.

Julian Assange’s long-term legal counsel Jen Robinson has told 7.30 that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year passed on a crucial piece of information following discussions with President Joe Biden that led his legal team to push for a plea deal.

7.30 has been told that initially the US Department of Justice wanted the Wikileaks publisher to serve eight years in jail before he was released, but that one of the red lines in negotiations was that Mr Assange refused to serve any more time.

For the first time, two of the people closest to those negotiations reveal crucial details of how the deal was struck – the sticking points, the key players and how it all nearly fell over.

Steve Cannane and Ninah Kopel from ABC Investigations have the story.

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