WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Freed from Prison
Pleads Guilty to US Espionage Law
Returns Home to Australia
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been freed from prison in the United Kingdom and is expected to travel home to Australia after pleading guilty to violating US espionage law. The deal will end his 12-year ordeal of legal battles and imprisonment.
Assange's guilty plea in a US court on Wednesday related to a single count of illegally obtaining and releasing classified information. The deal allows him to avoid further prosecution and extradition to the United States, where he faced charges under the Espionage Act.
Assange, 51, was arrested in 2010 for publishing thousands of classified documents on WikiLeaks, including diplomatic cables and military reports. He spent years fighting extradition to Sweden over sexual assault allegations and then to the United States for the espionage charges.
The guilty plea brings an end to a controversial saga that has sparked debates about freedom of speech, national security, and the role of whistleblowers in modern society. Assange's supporters hailed his release as a victory for press freedom, while critics criticized him for compromising national security.
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