Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, pleads guilty to conspiracy in US court appearance

Julian Assange pleaded guilty in a US court in Saipan as part of an agreement that is expected to free him after years of legal battles. The 52-year-old Australian admitted to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information. Wikileaks announced that Assange, the organization’s founder, will be traveling to Canberra in the next few hours as part of the agreement to secure his release.

Assange was released from the Belmarsh maximum security prison near London on Monday after being detained there for five years. He left the United Kingdom on the same day, following the announcement of a plea deal with US authorities. He had faced trial for revealing hundreds of thousands of confidential documents, and could potentially face a 62-month prison sentence. However, with credit for serving a similar period in preventive detention in London, he is expected to return to Australia a free man.

Since his arrest in 2019, Assange has been fighting extradition to the US, where he faces accusations of publishing classified documents on military and diplomatic activities. Despite facing a potential sentence of up to 175 years, a British court approved his extradition in June 2022, but he was granted the right to appeal. Assange was arrested by British police in April 2019 after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

There have been increasing calls for US President Joe Biden to drop the charges against Assange, with Australia formally requesting the same in February. The Democratic president has indicated that he is considering the request.