Julian Assange is set to plead guilty to a felony charge under a deal with the US Justice Department, ending a legal battle focused on the release of classified documents. The WikiLeaks founder will appear in a federal court in the Mariana Islands to admit to conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information.
The plea agreement, subject to court approval, marks the conclusion of a high-profile case that spanned international borders and culminates the US government’s efforts to prosecute a publisher who gained notoriety through his secret-sharing website. Many press freedom advocates viewed Assange as a journalist who exposed US military misdeeds.