Julian Assange pleads guilty to one felony count in plea deal, ending legal battle

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange officially pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, in exchange for not serving any prison time in the United States.

Assange entered the plea at a court in Northern Mariana Islands, and is expected to be transported to Australia after his hearing, per NBC News. The prosecution sought a 62 months in prison for his offenses, but the court ruled it as time already served, due to serving five years in a London prison.

Judge Ramona Manglona accepted the plea deal late Tuesday, and told Assange that he was now a free man.

“It appears this case ends with me here in Saipan," Manglona told an emotional Assange, according to The Guardian. “With this pronouncement it appears you will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man. I hope there will be some peace restored."

The plea deal was first disclosed by the Justice Department on Monday. 

The Wikileaks founder was originally indicted on 18 charges in 2019 that centered on his company's decision to release classified U.S. military documents that were provided by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010 and 2011. The records consisted of thousands of pages of intelligence cables that included information about Guantanamo Bay detainees, the War in Afghanistan, and documents that could have endangered confidential U.S. sources.

U.S. officials claimed that Assange coerced Manning into obtaining and handing over the documents. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for her part, but her sentence was commuted by former President Barack Obama during his presidency.

Assange defended his actions in court on Tuesday, claiming that the First Amendment should protect him as a journalist. But he also admitted that his actions could have violated the Espionage Act.

“Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified in order to publish that information. I believe the First Amendment protected that,” Assange told the court, according to the Washington Post. “I accept it’s a violation of an espionage statute,” he added. “ … I believe the First Amendment and the Espionage Act are in contradiction of each other, but I accept that it would be difficult to win such a case given all the circumstances.”

The plea deal comes after President Joe Biden said he was considering the deal in April. Wikileaks celebrated the deal on X on Tuesday, claiming their founder is now "free" after years of imprisonment and fighting U.S. extradition.

"As he returns to Australia, we thank all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom," the company posted. "Julian's freedom is our freedom."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.