Julian Assange achieves freedom: US plea deal expected next week
3 Min Read
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is anticipated to finalize a plea deal with US authorities later this week, after grabbing his freedom from the British Belmarsh prison.
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange looks out from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, the United Kingdom, on May 19, 2017. (AP)
WikiLeaks founder and landmark journalist Julian Assange has entered into a plea deal with the United States government that could see him freed in the near future, according to newly filed court papers.
Assange has been imprisoned in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London since April 2019 after British police were allowed to raid the Ecuadorian Embassy where he had secured asylum since 2012.
The United States has sought to put Assange on trial for publishing US military secrets and evidence of war crimes in the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is accused of publishing some 700,000 confidential documents relating to US military and diplomatic activities, starting in 2010.
US authorities have accused Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act, which experts warn means he could be sentenced to 175 years in prison.
However, this latest development means that Assange is likely to strike a plea deal with the US government that would face a sentence of 62 months, equivalent to the time of his detention in Belmarsh.
In return, Assange would plead guilty to a single count of conspiring to obtain and disclose information related to the national defense in a US federal court in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands.
The US has been pushing to extradite Assange from London to the United States, which has raised alarms among activists, law experts, and fellow journalists.
According to US media reports, the founder of WikiLeaks is expected to return to his home country of Australia following the court proceeding later this week.
Assange's case garnered backing from human rights and journalism organizations like Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists. These organizations and others were concerned that prosecuting Assange under the Espionage Act, especially if handed a heavy sentence, could establish a dangerous precedent for charging journalists with national security offenses.
Read more: CIA-linked company spied on Ecuador's ex-President to evict Assange
Stella Assange announces husband's freedom
Julian is free!!!!
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) June 25, 2024
Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU- yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. tHANK YOU. THANK YOU.
Follow @WikiLeaks for more info soon…pic.twitter.com/gW4UWCKP44
In an update, Julian Assange's wife, Stella Assange announced that her husband had boarded a flight out of the UK.
WikiLeaks' page on X posted a statement on Sunday detailing the most recent developments which saw Assange exit the UK.
It explained that Assange left Belmarsh prison on the morning of June 24, after spending 1901 days in detention. He boarded a plane at Stansted Airport and is expected to land in Australia soon.
Assange was granted bail by the British High Court and is expected to finalize the plea deal with US authorities later on.
"This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organizers, press freedom campaigners, legislators, and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations," WikiLeaks explained.
"As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom. Julian's freedom is our freedom," concluded.
Read more: Australian PM: Enough is enough; time Assange is brought home
