Justice Department and Julian Assange Reach Plea Deal

The Justice Department has reached a plea deal with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, who will plead guilty to a single felony count of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information. This agreement is expected to resolve his U.S. charges without further prison time, as he has already spent five years in London’s Belmarsh prison fighting extradition. The deal concludes a prolonged legal battle over the publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents, some revealing potential war crimes by U.S. forces. Assange will plead guilty in a U.S. federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands and return to Australia. The case has drawn significant criticism from First Amendment advocates and human rights organizations. Assange has been in various forms of confinement for over a decade, including seven years in Ecuador’s London embassy. Following his arrest in 2019, U.S. prosecutors charged him under the Espionage Act, sparking concerns about press freedom. An international campaign, supported by celebrities and advocates, has called for his release, with his wife Stella Assange actively involved.