" Assange will plead guilty to one espionage charge in a US court in Saipan on Wednesday, before returning home to Australia"
Published On 25 Jun 2024
After a 14-year-long legal battle, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from the United Kingdom’s Belmarsh prison on Monday morning after agreeing to a plea deal with the United States.
Soon after, Assange boarded a flight to Australia, his home country where his family is based.
Here is all you need to know about the deal and Assange’s legal battle:
What is Julian Assange’s plea deal?
- A US Department of Justice letter issued on Monday details the plea deal.
- Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge under the US Espionage Act of “conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information relating to the national defense of the United States”, the letter details.
- The charge carries a sentence of 62 months in prison. But under the deal, the time he has already served in prison in the UK — which is more than 62 months — will be counted against the sentence, so Assange will not need to spend any more time behind bars, in the US, the UK, or anywhere else.
- The formal hearing — in which Assange is expected to plead guilty — and sentencing will take place in the US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands at 9am on Wednesday (23:00 GMT on Tuesday). The court is based in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- If the guilty plea is approved by the judge, as is expected, the WikiLeaks founder will head back to Australia after the sentencing."
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