According to the latest court documents, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is expected to admit to conspiracy charges in an agreement reached with the US Department of Justice, which could secure his release from a UK prison.
Assange’s indictment is related to his role in the mass leak of classified US military and diplomatic documents, a scandal dating back to the Obama administration.
It is alleged that between 2009 and 2010, Assange collaborated with former military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to publish extensive reports on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as State Department cables and information from detainees at Guantanamo Bay, through WikiLeaks.
According to the plea agreement filed in a US District Court, Assange will be sentenced to 62 months, with credit for time served, allowing him to return to Australia. This comes after his prolonged legal battles to avoid extradition to the US, including the recent permission granted by the UK Supreme Court for a full appellate hearing in his case.
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Assange’s case is also connected to the 2016 US presidential elections, when WikiLeaks published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, an operation linked to Russian intelligence. However, former President Trump publicly doubted Russian involvement, contradicting the conclusions of US intelligence.
Chelsea Manning, who played a key role in the information leak, was initially sentenced to 35 years, but Obama commuted her sentence in 2017. She later faced additional legal challenges, including nearly a year in prison for refusing to testify before a grand jury.
This potential plea agreement brings an end to the decade-long saga involving Assange, highlighting significant issues at the intersection of journalism, law, and international relations.
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