He pleaded guilty in exchange for his freedom... An article to understand the whole story of Assange's case, after 14 years of struggle

On June 26, local time, Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks website, pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the U.S. Espionage Act in a U.S. federal court on Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. Subsequently, the judge of the Saipan court announced that Assange would leave the court as a "free man."

Who is Assange? Why did he suddenly plead guilty? How will this case involving multiple countries go? Will the United States let it go?

Assange, 52, was born in Australia and wandered around with his mother when he was young, without formal education. Later, he became one of the first people in the world to use computers after meeting a neighbor who sold computers. He then became a programmer and a world-renowned hacker through his own efforts, and created the "WikiLeaks" website in 2006.

In 2010, the WikiLeaks website exposed a large number of U.S. diplomatic cables and confidential U.S. military documents during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, exposing U.S. war crimes. This incident made the U.S. government lose face, and Assange was immediately involved in a lawsuit. The United States charged him with 17 counts of espionage and one count of improper use of computers. Assange also began a long road of struggle.

△In 2010, the WikiLeaks website exposed a large number of US diplomatic cables and confidential US military documents during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars

After the WikiLeaks website exposed confidential U.S. documents in July 2010, Assange went to Sweden in August of that year. Three months later, he was wanted by Sweden worldwide on suspicion of rape and sexual harassment the same month he arrived in Sweden. Assange denied the allegations, saying he was being "smeared". In December 2010, he surrendered himself in London, England, and was later released on bail. Fearing that he would be extradited to Sweden or even the United States by the British government, Assange hid in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the UK during his bail period in 2012.

At the end of 2017, the Ecuadorian government approved Assange as an Ecuadorian citizen and even planned to grant him diplomatic status so that he could obtain diplomatic privileges and leave the country legally, but was rejected by the British side.

In April 2019, Ecuador suddenly revoked Assange's political asylum, and British police subsequently entered the embassy and arrested him. In May of the same year, Assange was sentenced to prison for violating bail conditions and has since been detained in Belmarsh Prison, the highest security prison in the British capital London.

Five years later, on the morning of June 24, 2024, Assange regained his freedom, left Belmarsh Prison, went to London Stansted Airport, and flew out of the UK that afternoon. After a stopover in Bangkok, Thailand, Assange arrived in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands of the United States, on the 26th. After completing the relevant court procedures, he will be accompanied by the Australian ambassador to the UK back to Australia.

On June 26, local time, Assange pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the U.S. Espionage Act in the U.S. Federal Court on Saipan. It is reported that Assange was calm, occasionally smiled, and answered several questions raised by the judge in short sentences. When making his statement, he said that as a journalist, he had encouraged informants to obtain confidential information and report it, which fell within the scope of freedom of speech stipulated in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. "I agree that doing so violated the Espionage Act."

Just two days ago, the US media cited a legal document from the US Federal Court on the 24th, saying that Assange agreed to plead guilty that day. After pleading guilty, he does not need to go to the United States to serve his sentence. According to the documents disclosed by the US media, Assange agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of violating the US Espionage Act against him by the US Department of Justice, the charge being "conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information."

According to the plea agreement reached by both parties, the US Department of Justice will seek to sentence Assange to 62 months in prison, which is equal to the sentence Assange has already completed in London. The US Department of Justice will recognize that Assange has completed his sentence, give up his previous extradition request, and allow him to return to his native Australia.

According to the prescribed procedures, Assange must appear in a US federal court and plead guilty to a felony. The plea agreement he reached with the US Department of Justice must be approved by the judge of the court. As Assange refused to set foot on the US mainland, the US Department of Justice approved his appearance in the federal court on Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, on the 26th. After completing the procedure, Assange will fly back to Australia.

Assange's legal team has emphasized that the U.S. judicial department seeks to punish Assange for exposing atrocities committed by the U.S. government. If he is sent to the United States, Assange may suffer a miscarriage of justice.

△Australian Prime Minister Albanese posted on social media on the Assange case on the 25th

After learning that Assange had regained his freedom, Australian Prime Minister Albanese posted on social media on the 25th:

The Australian government believes that Assange's case has dragged on for too long... there is no benefit in continuing to detain him, and Australia wants him to return to Australia."

Assange's wife Stella said in an interview:

I don’t want to say too much until the judge signs it. But the important thing is that the agreement involves time served, and if he signs it, he can walk free.”

△"WikiLeaks" website issued a statement on social media

WikiLeaks said in a statement:

WikiLeaks has unprecedentedly exposed corruption and human rights violations by the U.S. government...As editor-in-chief, Assange paid a heavy price for his principles and the public's right to know. "

Assange's friend and former British diplomat Craig Murray pointed out in an interview with British media that the plea agreement was the result of coercion.

Assange did nothing wrong. Assange exposed U.S. military war crimes, and that is something we should all remember.”

△Holly Cullen, an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Australia, wrote an article on the "Dialogue" website analyzing the whole story of Assange's case

Holly Cullen, an adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia's School of Law, wrote on the "Dialogue" website that the public may never know the full reasons for the United States, and there are several possibilities to explain why the United States has decided to reach a plea agreement now. In recent years, the Australian government has been working to end this case; in the United States, even among some Republicans, more and more people believe that it is not in the interest of the United States to continue to prosecute Assange; the British general election is about to take place, and considering the possible change of government, the extradition order may also be reconsidered.

Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told the media that something unknown may have happened behind the scenes that prompted the US government to agree to reach an agreement with Assange. He did not rule out the possibility of new information or new risk assessments, but the outside world would not know the answer for a long time to come.

Assange's mother said that Assange's end to his "ordeal" was due to "quiet diplomacy", while Assange's father thanked Australian Prime Minister Albanese. Albanese also welcomed the "subtle" plea agreement reached between the US government and Assange, and immediately posted on social media to express his views.

As for the British government, it has not yet made an official statement on the Assange case.

British Sky News reported that such a plea agreement is not uncommon in US espionage cases, giving the defendant a chance to avoid a longer prison sentence. In some ways, it is a "victory" for both sides. Once the Assange case is concluded, the United States can free itself from the messy legal disputes. At least on paper, Assange has officially admitted his guilt.

After spending 1,901 days in isolation in a cell in Belmarsh Prison, Assange will leave the Saipan court as a "free man" and return to his native Australia.