WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange to be Released After 5 Years

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (53), who released hundreds of thousands of classified US documents, is reportedly set to plead guilty and be released under a deal with the US government, according to foreign media. This is expected to bring an end to the years-long legal battle between the US government and Assange, and Assange is expected to be a free man.

Assange is reportedly set to return to his home country of Australia after being released from a UK prison where he is currently incarcerated. According to the New York Times (NYT) and the Washington Post (WP) on the 24th (local time), Assange is scheduled to appear in court in Saipan, a US territory, on the morning of the 26th to plead guilty to charges of violating the US Espionage Act. If he pleads guilty, he is expected to be sentenced to 5 years in prison, but the 5 years he has already served in a UK prison are likely to be counted, making his release possible soon. Assange's side has reached a plea bargaining agreement with the US Department of Justice to conclude the trial.

The fact that Assange's trial is being held in Saipan, a court near his home country of Australia, rather than on the US mainland is also interpreted as a result of adjustments between the US government and Assange's side. Assange's side has been refusing extradition to the US, arguing that he could face up to 175 years in prison if tried in the US. The NYT reported that a US Justice Department counterterrorism official told the presiding judge that "Assange will appear in court in Saipan at 9 a.m. on the 26th as scheduled, and after all procedures are completed, he will return to Australia."

WikiLeaks issued a statement regarding Assange's release, saying, "We are grateful to everyone who has dedicated themselves to Assange's freedom." They also stated that Assange had left the UK prison to attend the trial in Saipan on that day. Assange's wife and lawyer, Stella Assange, also said on social media, "My husband will be free sometime next week."

Assange, an Australian national, founded WikiLeaks in 2006. In 2010, he released diplomatic cables and reports on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that were classified by the US government through WikiLeaks. The leaked information, which included misconduct by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, caused a major stir.

In the same year, Assange was issued an arrest warrant in Sweden on charges of sexual assault, but he denied the charges and went into hiding in the UK in 2012. After being arrested by British police in 2019, the US indicted him on a total of 18 charges, including violating the Espionage Act, and demanded his extradition from the UK. The US prosecution believed that Assange's actions of leaking classified information and making it public went beyond the scope of journalism and posed a threat to national security.

However, Assange's side argued that it was suppression of freedom of the press and fought back through legal proceedings. Assange's extradition to the US has attracted international attention. Australian Prime Minister Albanese asked the US to conclude the Assange case, and Australian MPs passed a resolution urging Assange's return to Australia. German Chancellor Scholz also made it clear that the UK should not extradite Assange to the US. Protests against Assange's extradition to the US were held across Europe. Assange's family said that his health had deteriorated due to more than 10 years of legal battles.

Earlier this year in April, US President Biden, when asked about Australia's request for Assange's return, replied that he was "considering it." The WSJ assessed that "Assange's release will also reduce the political burden on the US government."