Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in US Court, Ends 14-Year Legal Battle for Freedom
After a 14-year legal battle, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty in a US court to a single espionage charge, marking the end of his fight for freedom. The court hearing in Saipan concluded with Assange’s guilty plea, allowing him to return to his native Australia after serving five years in a British prison.
Assange admitted to conspiring to obtain and disseminate national defense information, facing a 62-month prison sentence that will be offset by his time served in London’s Belmarsh Prison. The outcome was widely expected, with the US Justice Department anticipating his guilty plea and his subsequent return to Australia.
Assange’s legal troubles began in 2010 with sexual assault charges in Sweden, followed by asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. After Ecuador revoked his asylum in 2019, he spent 1,901 days in Belmarsh. The unsealed indictment against Assange included 17 counts of espionage, leading to a lengthy extradition battle.
Despite being released from prison, Assange’s plea deal signifies a significant chapter in investigative journalism, as he faced prosecution for publishing classified materials exposing alleged US war crimes.
If you found this article interesting, don’t forget to share it on social media!
