Julian Assange pleads guilty to releasing US military secrets: What’s next for WikiLeaks founder?

A US judge freed Julian Assange on Wednesday in a plea deal that ended years of legal drama for the WikiLeaks founder, long wanted by Washington for acquiring and releasing US military secrets

“With this pronouncement, it appears that you will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man,” said the judge in a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a Pacific US territory, AFP reported.

As reported by AP, this resolution of his prolonged legal case addresses issues that sparked debates over press freedom and national security.

The plea was entered Wednesday morning in a federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific. This location's proximity to Julian Assange's native Australia allowed him to avoid setting foot on the US mainland during these legal proceedings.

Under the terms of the agreement, Assange, known for his controversial role in internet publishing, acknowledged guilt for a single felony charge. In exchange, he was granted the freedom to return to Australia without facing incarceration in the United States.

Previously, he had spent the last five years detained in the United Kingdom, contesting extradition to the US where he faced charges under the Espionage Act, carrying the potential for a lengthy prison sentence upon conviction.

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Both parties find some measure of satisfaction in the resolution. The Justice Department, confronted with a defendant who had already spent considerable time in jail, settled a complex legal case without going to trial. The extradition process was slow-moving, and the outcome might not have gone to a jury at all.

Assange, on his part, expressed reluctant acceptance of the resolution. He acknowledged in court that while he believed the Espionage Act conflicted with the First Amendment, he understood the repercussions of soliciting classified information for publication.

Assange arrived at court in a dark suit, with a tie loosened around the collar, after flying from Britain on a charter plane accompanied by members of his legal team and Australian officials, including the top Australian diplomat in the U.K, AP reported.

The report stated that inside the courthouse, he answered basic questions from U.S. District Judge Ramona Manglona, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, and appeared to listen intently. As a condition of his plea, he will be required to destroy information provided to WikiLeaks.

The secret-spilling website, which Assange founded in 2006, said in its own statement that it was grateful for “all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom.”

How did the hearing go?

Assange appeared in good spirits and at ease during the hearing, actively engaging with the proceedings and occasionally sharing jokes with the judge. While signing his plea agreement, he humorously remarked about the 9-hour time difference between the UK and Saipan. Additionally, when asked by the judge if he was content with the terms of the plea, Assange quipped, “It might depend on the outcome,” prompting laughter in the courtroom.

“So far, so good,” the judge responded.

The plea deal, revealed in a brief Justice Department communication on Monday night, marks the culmination of a prolonged legal battle involving Julian Assange, an unconventional Australian computer expert. Supporters view him as a champion of transparency, while critics, particularly in national security circles, condemn his disregard for government secrecy, arguing that it endangered lives and went beyond the traditional role of journalism.

Also Read: WikiLeaks espionage case: ’Broke US law but...’, says Julian Assange after pleading guilty

In this agreement, Assange admits guilt in a criminal case initiated by the Trump administration's Justice Department. The charges stem from his role in acquiring and publishing war logs and diplomatic cables that exposed US military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prosecutors claimed he collaborated with Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, to obtain these documents and released them without sufficient consideration for American national security, potentially compromising the safety of human sources who assisted US forces.

However, Julian Assange's actions garnered widespread support from advocates of press freedom, who praised his efforts in uncovering military actions that might have otherwise remained hidden from public scrutiny. WikiLeaks, under Assange's leadership, notably released materials such as a video depicting a 2007 Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad by U.S. forces, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals, including two Reuters journalists.

While the indictment against Assange was made public in 2019, his legal troubles began long before this criminal case and persisted well beyond its resolution.

What are the past records?

Following the release of a massive document cache in 2010, a Swedish prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Julian Assange based on allegations of rape and molestation made by two women. Assange consistently maintained his innocence, and ultimately, the investigation was discontinued.

In 2012, Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, citing concerns over political persecution. Over the next seven years, he remained in self-imposed exile there, receiving visits from various celebrities and occasionally addressing his supporters from the embassy's balcony.

In 2019, Ecuador withdrew Assange's asylum status, leading to his arrest by British police. He has been incarcerated since then, and the Justice Department in the United States is seeking his extradition. British judges have expressed reservations about the treatment Assange might receive in the American criminal justice system throughout this legal process.

Also Read: WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange freed from jail after striking deal with US in espionage case

In the end, the outcome that prevents Assange from serving time in U.S. prisons represents a rejection of years of dire predictions by Assange and his allies regarding potential severe treatment within the American criminal justice system, including fears of facing the death penalty, despite prosecutors never pursuing such a penalty.

Recently, Assange secured the right to appeal an extradition order following arguments from his legal team that the assurances provided by the U.S. government were insufficient, contending that he might not receive the same protections for free speech as an American citizen upon extradition from Britain.

His wife, Stella Assange, told the BBC from Australia that it had been “touch and go” over 72 hours whether the deal would go ahead but she felt “elated” at the news. A lawyer who married the WikiLeaks founder in prison in 2022, she said details of the agreement would be made public once the judge had signed off on it, AP reported.

Also Read: Assange, Justice Department exploring guilty plea to end 14-year legal drama

“He will be a free man once it is signed off by a judge,” she said, adding that she still didn’t think it was real.

Assange on Monday left the London prison, where he has spent the last five years, after being granted bail during a secret hearing last week. He boarded a plane that landed hours later in Bangkok to refuel before taking off again toward Saipan. A video posted by WikiLeaks on X, showed Assange staring intently out the window at the blue sky as the plane headed toward the island.

“Imagine. From over 5 years in a small cell in a maximum security prison. Nearly 14 years detained in the U.K. To this,” WikiLeaks wrote.

(With inputs from agencies)