London, June 25:
Newly submitted federal court papers reveal that Julian Assange, creator of WikiLeaks, has consented to engage in a plea bargain with the Joe Biden administration, which may enable him to avoid incarceration in the United States. Reportedly, the creator of WikiLeaks has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal charge related to his alleged role in one of the biggest thefts of classified US government documents. A federal court would have to approve this deal for Assange to get a 62-month term, which is the same amount of time he has already spent fighting extradition to the United States in the high-security Belmarsh jail in London. In exchange for his guilty plea, Assange may be able to return to his home country of Australia without further delay thanks to the credit for time served.
WikiLeaks said on Tuesday that Julian Assange had been released from Belmarsh after being granted bail by the High Court in London. He then left Stansted Airport. The organisation reportedly shared a video showing Assange getting on a plane after he left the UK, which CNN reported.
Wednesday morning is when the US District Court in the Northern Mariana Islands will hold the plea hearing and sentence. The prosecution informed the court that Assange chose a location close to Australia because he does not want to be physically present in the continental US during his guilty plea. Assange plans to return to Australia after the court hearings.
According to the prosecutors from the Justice Department, they expect Assange to enter a guilty plea and be sentenced appropriately. The United States government had been looking for Assange since 2010 and 2011 when Chelsea Manning disclosed sensitive military papers. He was indicted on 18 counts pertaining to the breach in a 2019 indictment; the maximum penalty could have been 175 years, however it was highly improbable that he would receive the entire term.
US officials said that Assange had pushed for Manning to get a plethora of unfiltered US diplomatic cables, which may have compromised sensitive sources, along with important reports on the Iraq war and details about detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
In an effort to help Assange return to Australia, President Joe Biden had dropped hints about a possible arrangement that would have the backing of Australian government officials. According to CNN's sources familiar with the situation, however, the FBI and the Justice Department were adamant that any deal must involve a guilty plea from Assange on a grand jury. Just last month, a court in the United Kingdom upheld Assange's right to appeal his last defence against extradition to the United States. Following years of legal struggles to evade prosecution in the US for the accusations levied against him, this ruling was a major triumph for Assange.
Press freedom, government openness, and the legal ramifications of disclosing secret information have all been touched by the Assange case, which has garnered interest from throughout the world. Everyone from friends to opponents to legal experts has been following his every move since he sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London seven years ago. Now he is in Belmarsh prison, and he may soon be able to return to Australia after a plea deal.
