Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, ending his long legal battle and allowing him to return home after years in confinement.
Assange entered his plea at a court in the Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday morning, according to The Associated Press. Following the hearing, he is expected to fly to Australia, where he is a citizen.
Assange’s plea deal will sentence him to 62 months, which he has already served. He acknowledged the tension between the First Amendment and the Espionage Act, but accepted the plea given the circumstances, according to Thomas Mangloña II of KUAM.
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Assange, who leaked classified U.S. military documents, was arrested in 2019 after seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition over sexual assault allegations in Sweden. The U.S. charged him with conspiring with Chelsea Manning to obtain and disclose confidential documents.
The Department of Justice accused Assange of one of the largest compromises of classified information in U.S. history. Despite his guilty plea, Assange isn’t expected to serve more time, and his wife, Stella, plans to seek a full pardon for him, citing journalistic integrity, as she told Reuters.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed relief at the conclusion of the case, emphasizing that Assange deserves to return home. WikiLeaks stated on social media that Assange will fly from Saipan to Canberra.