Julian Assange struck a deal with US authorities to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally obtain and disclose national security information.
The WikiLeaks founder is expected to sign the deal in a US court in the Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday.
Initially, US prosecutors intended to try Assange on 18 charges, mostly under the Espionage Act, related to the release of classified US military records relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2019, in a report listing these 18 allegations, Washington accused the WikiLeaks founder of conspiring to hack US military databases To get important information.
Assange has denied the allegations, arguing that the leaks were an act of journalism.
On Wednesday, Assange will answer to just one charge, not all 18. According to CBS News, Justice Department prosecutors recommended a 62-month prison sentence following the conviction.
however, Assange will not serve time in a U.S. prison because, under the terms of the deal, he will be given credit for the roughly five years he spent in prison in the United Kingdom.. So, you should be completely independent immediately after the exam.
The signing of the treaty takes place in the Mariana Islands because Assange opposes traveling to the continental United States, as well as because of the islands’ proximity to Australia, which he will eventually lead.
The deal still needs to be approved by a judge, which is expected to happen.
According to their lawyers, Had Assange been convicted of the original 18 counts, he could have served up to 175 years in prison.The US government said the sentence could be as high as four to six years.
Because now?
In an interview with the BBC, Julian Assange’s wife admitted that until the last 24 hours neither she nor her husband had been “absolutely certain” that a deal would happen.
“It’s a whirlwind of emotions, I’m excited, and frankly, it’s unbelievable. It feels unreal.”he told BBC radio.
For the past five years, Assange has been held in a high-security prison in south London, where he has been denied bail because he is considered a flight risk. During this time, his family and supporters reported that his physical and mental health was deteriorating.
“The priority is for him to get healthy again. It has been in a bad state for the last five years,” he said.His wife, Stella Assange, said this Tuesday.
In 2021, a British court announced that Assange could be extradited to the United States. However, earlier this year, the Australian won the right to appeal that decision. Fearing the consequences of a trial in the US, Assange never wanted to be extradited.
In February, the Australian Parliament passed a resolution asking the US and UK governments to allow Assange to return to his home country. In April, President Joe Biden said he would consider Australia’s request to drop charges against Assange.
Assange’s family said on Tuesday that his “ordeal” had ended thanks to “quiet diplomacy”. His father thanked Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
What was at stake?
In 2006, Julian Assange founded the WikiLeaks portal, where he published sensitive information. In 2010, it became famous worldwide after publishing a series of leaks by Chelsea Manning, a former US military officer.
Among the files was a video from 2007 in which it was seen 11 people were killed in a helicopter attack by US forces in BaghdadIncluding two journalists from Reuters Agency.
In 2010, WikiLeaks released more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables.
Later, in 2016, other well-known leaks emerged: The Democratic Party’s compromising emails were released ahead of the presidential electionIt culminated in the defeat of Democrat Hillary Clinton and the victory of Republican Donald Trump.
US prosecutors said the emails were stolen by Russian intelligence and were part of an election meddling campaign on Trump’s behalf.
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