Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is set to be released after spending over 14 years in exile or in prison in the UK, fighting extradition to the US. Assange has reached a deal with the US Justice Department, allowing him to plead guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to disseminate National Defense information, under which he is expected to be freed immediately. This development comes after Assange spent a significant amount of time in British custody, including 1,901 days in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison, and seven years in self-exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. His legal battles began in 2010 following WikiLeaks’ publication of classified US military documents.
- Julian Assange has reached a deal with the US Justice Department, which is yet to be finalized, allowing for his potential release.
- Assange spent a total of 1,901 days in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison before being granted bail by the High Court in London and leaving the UK.
- He is scheduled to appear in a US federal court in the Mariana Islands to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to disseminate National Defense information.
- Under the agreement with the US Justice Department, Assange is expected to be freed immediately, having already served time in British custody since 2019.
- Prior to his arrest, Assange spent seven years in self-exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
- His legal troubles began in 2010 after WikiLeaks published classified information about US military operations, including a video of a US helicopter strike in Baghdad which killed civilians and journalists.
- Following his court hearing, Assange plans to return to his native country, Australia. The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has been advocating for the US to drop extradition requests and release Assange.
France 24 is an international television network and news website owned by the French state.
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This summary has been generated by AI.
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