Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has reached a deal with the U.S. government to plead guilty to one charge of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents. This agreement, subject to approval by a U.S. federal judge, will lead to Assange walking free after attending a hearing on the island of Saipan and returning to Australia.
Assange, known for publishing secret material from U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been portrayed by supporters as a journalist who exposed war crimes. Initially arrested by British police in 2019 at the Ecuadorian embassy, where he had sought refuge for seven years, Assange’s asylum status was revoked, leading to his eventual release from the high-security Belmarsh prison in London.
Wikileaks announced Assange’s departure from the U.K. with a social media post, indicating his freedom after spending 1901 days in custody. A video showed Assange boarding a plane, marking the end of his legal battles and securing his release from prison.