Julian Assange was accused of espionage and illegal disclosure of confidential information to the detriment of the United States. In 2010, WikiLeaks published more than 700,000 classified US documents related to military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. During its operation, WikiLeaks received more than $46 million in bitcoins.
Assange will stand trial in federal court in the Mariana Islands, according to a U.S. attorney’s office filing in the Northern Mariana Islands District Court. The hearing is being held there because of Assange’s refusal to travel to the mainland US and the court’s proximity to Australia.
Assange must plead guilty to conspiracy to illegally obtain and disseminate classified US national defense information. Under the terms of the deal with the authorities, the court must sentence Assange to five years and three months in prison, which he has already served in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison since April 2019.
WikiLeaks announced on social media X that Assange was granted bail by the London High Court and he boarded a flight at London Stansted Airport to return to his native Australia.
“This is the result of an international campaign that has involved organizers, press freedom activists, legislators and political leaders, all the way to the United Nations. This set the stage for lengthy negotiations with the US Department of Justice that led to the deal being concluded,” WikiLeaks added.
Note that last year, US Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. promised to release Assange from prison if he wins the upcoming presidential election.
Source: Bits
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