WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pleaded guilty in a US court in Saipan, ending years of legal drama in a plea bargain that will leave him a free man. The 52-year-old admitted to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate national defense information in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory.
Assange, who had been held in a high-security British prison for five years, is expected to be sentenced to five years and two months in prison with credit for time served. His wife, Stella, expressed her relief at his impending release, thanking supporters for their campaign.
Since 2010, Assange has been a controversial figure, hailed as a hero by some for promoting free speech and criticized by others for endangering US security. The US sought to put him on trial for releasing military secrets about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While the plea deal marks the end of Assange’s legal ordeal, opinions on the case still remain divided. Supporters view it as a victory for human rights, while critics, like former US Vice President Mike Pence, have condemned it as a miscarriage of justice. The announcement of the deal came just before a scheduled appeal against his extradition to the US.