WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to walk free and resolve a long-running legal saga that spanned multiple continents and centred on the publication of a trove of classified documents.
The most controversial leaks featured classified US military documents and footages from the war it waged in Afghanistan and Iran and thousands of other diplomatic cables. It highlighted issues such as abuse of prisoners, human rights violations, civilians deaths. The releases were the largest leak of their kind in US military history.
Assange was in British prison for violations of Bail Act after seeking years of asylum in the embassy of Ecuador in London. The US government charged him with violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and alleging he had conspired with hackers.
Assange is expected to return to his home country of Australia after his plea and sentencing which is scheduled on Wednesday morning in the island of Saipan. The hearing is taking place there due to Assange’s opposition to travelling to continental US and the Islands proximity to Australia.
