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Julian Assange Freed in US Plea Deal After 5 Years in UK Prison
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was freed from London's Belmarsh prison on June 24, 2024, after reaching a plea deal with the United States. He had been imprisoned for five years. As part of the agreement, he will plead guilty to one criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents. The hearing is taking place in a US federal court in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, due to Assange's opposition to traveling to the mainland US. After the hearing, he is expected to return to his home country, Australia. Key points:
Key points
- Julian Assange was released after a plea deal with the US Justice Department.
- He pleaded guilty to a single charge under the Espionage Act of 1917.
- The charge was "conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information".
- He spent 1,901 days in Belmarsh prison, following 7 years in the Ecuadorian embassy.
- The court hearing was held in Saipan, a US commonwealth in the Western Pacific.
- The deal ends a 14-year legal battle over the publication of classified US documents. Why it matters: This case is a major international flashpoint concerning press freedom, national security, and the extraterritorial application of US law. It links to fundamental rights debates.
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Posted 26 June 2026. More daily posts →