WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in Deal to Avoid U.S. Prison, Ends Decade-Long Legal

WASHINGTON — Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has pleaded guilty to a single felony charge for publishing U.S. military secrets. This deal with Justice Department prosecutors not only concludes his long-standing legal ordeal but also secures his freedom, raising profound questions about press freedom and national security.

Assange entered his plea Wednesday morning in federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific. Dressed in a dark suit with a loosely tied collar, Assange arrived at court without taking questions from the press.

This agreement requires Assange to admit guilt to one felony count, but it allows him to return to Australia without serving time in an American prison. Assange has spent the last five years in a UK jail, fighting extradition to the U.S. on charges under the Espionage Act, which could have led to a lengthy prison sentence if convicted.

The resolution of this case allows both sides to claim a partial victory. The Justice Department resolves a case that posed significant legal challenges, potentially avoiding a trial that might have faced further delays. On the other hand, Assange's wife, Stella, expressed her elation to the BBC as her husband was en route to freedom via a chartered jet to Saipan.

WikiLeaks, the platform Assange founded in 2006, celebrated the deal, expressing gratitude to supporters who fought for his freedom. The Justice Department agreed to hold the hearing on the remote island near Australia, accommodating Assange's opposition to traveling to the continental U.S.

The guilty plea ends a criminal case initiated by the Trump administration's Justice Department related to the publication of war logs and diplomatic cables exposing U.S. military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prosecutors alleged that Assange conspired with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain and publish sensitive documents, including the names of informants, thereby compromising U.S. national security.

Despite these allegations, Assange garnered substantial support from press freedom advocates, who praised his efforts to reveal military actions that might have otherwise remained hidden. Notably, WikiLeaks published a 2007 video showing a U.S. Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad, resulting in the deaths of 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.

Assange's legal troubles began long before the 2019 indictment. In 2010, a Swedish prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Assange over allegations of rape and molestation, which he denied. He sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012, remaining there for seven years until his asylum was revoked in 2019, leading to his arrest by British authorities.

Throughout his incarceration, Assange's extradition to the U.S. faced skepticism from British judges concerned about his potential treatment in the American justice system. The recent plea deal, sparing him prison time in the U.S., refutes years of dire warnings from Assange and his supporters about harsh treatment, including the death penalty, which was never sought by prosecutors.

This agreement marks the end of a significant chapter in Assange's life, allowing him to return home and continue his journey of advocacy and transparency from afar.

May 19, 2017 photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.Photo byFrank Augstein