Julian Assange Pleads Guilty to Espionage Charge, Freed from Prison

Assange's Guilty Plea to End Long-Running Battle with U.S.

### WikiLeaks Founder Expected to Return to Australia after Deal London, England - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been freed from prison in the United Kingdom and is expected to travel to his native Australia after he pleaded guilty to a single felony charge under a deal with the United States. Assange, 50, appeared in a US court via video link on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act. The charge stemmed from his role in publishing thousands of classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents in 2010.

Under the plea deal, Assange will serve only 12 months in prison, which has already been completed during his extradition battle. After his release, he will be allowed to return to Australia and continue his work with WikiLeaks.

The plea deal ends a long-running legal battle between Assange and the U.S. government. Assange was arrested in London in 2019 and has been fighting extradition to the US ever since.

Many supporters of Assange see his prosecution as an attack on press freedom. They argue that the charges against him were politically motivated and that he was being punished for embarrassing the United States.

The U.S. government, however, has maintained that Assange is a criminal who stole classified information and endangered national security.

Assange's guilty plea is a significant development in the WikiLeaks case. It remains to be seen whether his release will have a long-term impact on the debate over press freedom and the role of whistleblowers.