Who is Julian Assange and what did he do? Here’s all you need to know about WikiLeaks founder who will plead guilty for violating US laws

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, was released from Belmarsh prison in the UK on Monday (local time) after agreeing to plead guilty to a single charge of conspiring to disclose classified US national defence documents. This agreement concluded his five-year detention in the UK, during which he resisted extradition to the US, where he faced charges for exposing military secrets. The UK government authorised his extradition in June 2022, and he is set to appear in the US on Wednesday (local time).

Assange is likely to receive a 62-month prison sentence, which includes credit for the five years he spent incarcerated in the UK. Hence, it can be said that, he will soon return to his homeland of Australia.

While the plea deal was somewhat anticipated, pressure had been mounting on President Joe Biden to resolve the protracted case against Assange.

‘Julian Assange is free’

“Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK,” WikiLeaks tweeted.

“This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised. We will provide more information as soon as possible,” the tweet further read. 

What is WikiLeaks and why did it get Julian Assange in so much trouble?

52-years-old Assange was sought by Washington for releasing hundreds of thousands of classified US documents starting in 2010 while leading the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. There were over 700,000 documents that included diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts.

Throughout his ordeal, Assange became a hero to advocates of free speech globally and a controversial figure among those who believed his actions jeopardised US national security and intelligence sources by disclosing secrets.

US authorities sought to prosecute Assange for disclosing classified US military information related to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange spent seven years confined in Ecuador’s London embassy to evade extradition to Sweden, where he faced allegations of sexual assault that were ultimately dismissed.

How did Julian Assange avoid US prison time?

US plea bargain agreement is expected to bring an end to Assange’s nearly 14-year legal ordeal. Assange was indicted by a US federal grand jury in 2019 on 18 charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of a large cache of national security documents. The announcement of the agreement came two weeks before Assange’s scheduled court appearance in Britain to appeal against a ruling permitting his extradition to the United States.

Since April 2019, Assange has been detained in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison. Previously, he spent seven years seeking asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced allegations of sexual assault that were later dropped. Among the documents released by Assange was footage showing civilians being killed by gunfire from a US helicopter in Iraq in 2007, including two Reuters journalists.

Julian Assange to face Espionage Charges – What are they? 

Assange has been accused by the United States under the 1917 Espionage Act, with potential penalties that supporters warn could lead to a 175-year prison sentence.

The Espionage Act of 1917, passed shortly after the start of World War I, criminalises the acquisition, photography, or reproduction of any information concerning national defense, if done with the intention of using such information against the United States or benefiting any foreign nation.

Julian Assange extradition

The British government approved his extradition in June 2022. In a recent development, two British judges ruled in May that Assange could appeal his extradition to the US.

The appeal will consider whether Assange, as a foreigner facing trial in America, would be entitled to the protections of freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.