Julian Assange Returns to X With ‘I’m Back’ Post After Two-Year Hiatus

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to X on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, posting “I’m back” as he resurfaced publicly on the social media platform more than two years after his release from a U.K. prison and return to Australia. His post followed an announcement from the official WikiLeaks account featuring a photograph of Assange standing in front of a mural depicting him.

The short post follows a series of social media posts in which Assange largely stayed out of the public eye since his plea deal with the United States in June 2024.

Assange’s Return to Public View

The WikiLeaks founder’s arrival comes two years after he was released from Belmarsh prison in London under an agreement with U.S. prosecutors. In June 2024, Assange agreed to plead guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified national defense information.

The charge was based on his involvement with Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst, in obtaining and leaking classified information, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

He was given 62 months in jail, of which the time he had already served in U.K. custody for fighting extradition to the U.S. was credited. The plea agreement meant he could leave the United States after the sentencing hearing and go back to Australia.

The plea agreement ended a U.S. criminal case that had begun with an indictment in 2018. The Justice Department said Assange admitted to his role in a conspiracy involving the unlawful acquisition and disclosure of classified national defense information.

Years of Legal Proceedings

Assange spent over 5 years in Belmarsh prison, following 7 years in Ecuador’s embassy in London, before his release. His legal case was based on the U.S. request for extradition and charges stemming from WikiLeaks’ release of classified U.S. government documents.

The 2024 plea agreement brought the U.S. criminal proceedings to an end. Under the agreement, Assange was required to enter his guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands rather than travel to the continental United States. The Justice Department said the location also reflected the territory’s proximity to Australia.

During his sentencing hearing in Saipan, Assange acknowledged that he had encouraged a source to provide classified information for publication.

The case became a major focus of debate over the treatment of journalists and publishers who handle classified information. Amnesty International, which has criticized the prosecution, said in 2024 that Assange’s case raised broader concerns about press freedom and the impact of espionage prosecutions on journalists and publishers.

The U.S. Justice Department has described the case as a criminal conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified national defense information.