Julian Assange, on Wednesday, June 26, morning walks out of US court as a free man after pleading guilty in a deal to end years-long legal battle.
According to BBC, the Wikileaks founder Assange was pursued by the UD prosecutors for leaking confidential information about the military.
Assange, after signing a deal with the US authorities, pleading guilty only on one charge, leaves the British prison on Monday, June 25.
He appeared in the US courtroom on the Northern Islands to formalize the agreement and officially plead guilty.
Assange told the court in Saipan, “I am, in fact, guilty of the charge.”
Speaking outside the court, Assange’s US lawyer, Barry Pollack, said, “The prosecution of Julian Assange is unprecedented in the 100 years of the Espionage Act. Mr. Assange revealed truthful, newsworthy information … We firmly believe that Mr. Assange never should have been charged under the Espionage Act and engaged in (an) exercise that journalists engage in every day.”
Assange, speaking in the court, said, “Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide material that was said to be classified."
After leaving the US court as a free man, Assange is heading toward his country Australia. He will most likely land in Canberra at around 7:35 local time (10:34 BST).
