WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge as part of a deal with the U.S. Justice Department, resolving a lengthy legal battle that spanned multiple continents and focused on the publication of classified documents. Court documents filed late Monday indicate that Assange will plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information.
Assange is set to appear in federal court in the Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific, for his plea. The Justice Department stated in a court filing that the guilty plea, subject to approval by a judge, marks the end of an international criminal case and the U.S. government’s pursuit of a publisher who gained fame for his secret-sharing website, WikiLeaks.
Following his plea and sentencing on Wednesday, Assange is expected to return to Australia. The hearing is being held in Saipan, the largest island in the Mariana Islands, due to Assange’s opposition to traveling to the continental U.S. and the court’s proximity to Australia.
For more information about Assange’s release, WikiLeaks shared a message on X Monday. Related stories:
London court rules WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal extradition order to the US
