Julian Assange Set To Appear In US Court, Will Plead Guilty To Conspiracy Charge and Go Free. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who had publicized classified US military documents and videos about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, has reached a plea deal with the American authorities to go free after pleading guilty to criminal charges. He will return to Australia after the proceedings.
Assange has already spent five years in a UK prison. He is set to appear in a US court at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Assange’s plea deal, as per court documents, was filed on Monday evening in the US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. The whistleblower will be sentenced to 62 months with credit for time served in British prison.
In a statement Adrienne Watson, the National Security Council spokesperson, said this was an independent decision made by the Department of Justice and there was no White House involvement.
British Court Asked US for Assurance of Free Speech Protection for Julian Assange
This comes after Assange, 52, won his bid to appeal his extradition to the US in May on espionage charges. Earlier this year, a British court asked the United States government to ensure that Australian citizen would be granted free speech protections under the US Constitution. It also requested the American government not to give Assange the death penalty if convicted on espionage charges.
Meanwhile, an Australian politician Julian Hill said no one should judge Julian for accepting the plea deal. He highlighted that the Wikileaks founder’s health is fragile. Hill said Assange is an Australian and enough is enough.
An Australian government spokesperson said they continue to provide consular assistance to Assange. They added that the case has dragged on for far too long and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration.
