Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in Plea Deal, Avoids Prison Time

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange entered a guilty plea and received a time-served sentence as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department, ending his long-running legal battle and avoiding the possibility of life imprisonment.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty to a single felony count in a U.S. federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. As part of a plea deal, he was sentenced to time served, effectively ending his imprisonment and allowing him to avoid the potential of spending up to 175 years in an American maximum security prison.

Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in Plea Deal, Avoids Prison Time

Assange's plea deal stemmed from charges brought against him by the Trump administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) for publishing classified U.S. military documents leaked to him by a source. The Biden administration continued to pursue prosecution until the plea agreement was reached.

The charges against Assange included 17 counts under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing, and communicating classified information to the public, as well as one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. By reaching a plea deal, Assange avoided a lengthy trial and the possibility of a severe sentence.

Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in Plea Deal, Avoids Prison Time

As a condition of his plea, Assange admitted guilt to a single felony count but was not required to spend any additional time in prison. The plea deal also allowed him to return home to his family in Australia.

Assange's release was welcomed by his family and supporters, but concerns about press freedom were raised since he was forced to admit guilt for journalistic activities. Assange's lawyers argued that his case sets a dangerous precedent for national security reporters.

Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in Plea Deal, Avoids Prison Time

The plea deal allowed the Justice Department to avoid an appeal hearing in which Assange would have challenged his U.S. extradition on First Amendment grounds. Last month, Assange was granted the right to appeal after his lawyers successfully argued that the U.S. provided "blatantly inadequate" assurances that he would have the same free speech protections as an American citizen in a U.S. courtroom.

Assange had been held at London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since being removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in 2019 for breaching bail conditions. He had sought asylum at the embassy since 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden over allegations he raped two women. The investigations into the sexual assault allegations were eventually dropped.

Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in Plea Deal, Avoids Prison Time

In 2013, the Obama administration decided not to indict Assange over WikiLeaks' publication of classified cables because it would have had to also indict journalists from major news outlets who published the same materials. President Obama also commuted Manning's 35-year sentence for violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses to seven years in 2017. Manning, who had been imprisoned since 2010, was released later that year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.