LONDON, UK – MAY 19: Julian Assange gestures while speaking to the media on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy on May 19, 2017 in London, England. Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
Jack Taylor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange He reportedly plans to plead guilty as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice that will see him released from a British prison after serving five years. court documents.
Court documents say Assange is charged with conspiring to obtain and disclose defense information, which would typically mean a plea deal.
The U.S. charges against Assange stem from one of the largest publications of classified information in U.S. history, which took place during President Barack Obama’s first term. According to the government, beginning in late 2009, Assange and Chelsea ManningMilitary intelligence analysts used the WikiLeaks website to reveal tens of thousands of activity reports on the war in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of reports on the war in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of State Department cables, and detainee assessment briefings at Guantanamo Bay.
A court document disclosing Assange’s plea agreement was filed Monday night in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. Assange is expected to appear in court and be sentenced to 62 months in prison, including time in a British prison, meaning he will be free to return to Australia, the country of his birth.
Assange hold Five years in high-security Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London, followed by seven years of self-imposed exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London— He reportedly gave birth to two children there — until his asylum was revoked and he was forcibly Taken out by the embassy and was arrested in April 2019. superseding indictment A second superseding indictment was filed against Assange more than five years ago, in May 2019 return June 2020.
Assange has been fighting extradition to the United States for more than a decade. In March, the High Court in London gave him permission A full hearing was requested on his appeal as he seeks assurances that he can rely on the First Amendment at trial in the United States. In May, two judges of the High Court explain He could have a full hearing on whether he would be discriminated against in the United States because he is a foreigner. Hearing on Assange’s right to free speech Scheduled July 9-10.
Assange’s WikiLeaks also publish Hackers compromised the Democratic National Committee’s emails, upending the 2016 presidential campaign. Russian intelligence officials then be accused The case was brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller in connection with the 2018 hack. Days later, at a joint news conference with then-President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump rebutted the indictment and the intelligence community, saying Putin “His denial was extremely strong and forceful“The Russians interfered in the 2016 election to help him win.
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in military prison, but Obama commuted her sentence in 2017, in the final days of his presidency. She was freed back suicide attempt.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988 or chat online 988lifeline.org. You can also visit TalkingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
About The Author
