WikiLeaks' Julian Assange walks free in Saipan after espionage admission

Julian Assange will be heading home to Australia after being released by a US court in Saipan, where he pleaded guilty to one count of espionage in a deal with the US Justice Department

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange emerged from a courtroom in the US Pacific island territory of Saipan a free man, having pled guilty to violating US espionage laws in a landmark deal that paves the way for his return to Australia, marking the culmination of an extraordinary legal odyssey.

In a three-hour court hearing, Assange admitted to a single count of conspiring to obtain and publish classified US national defence documents, asserting his actions were protected by the first amendment’s guarantees of free speech.

“Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified to publish that information,” he told the court. “I believed the first amendment protected that activity but I accept that it was … a violation of the espionage statute,” he said.

The plea was entered at Saipan’s federal court on Wednesday morning, strategically chosen for its proximity to Australia, where Assange intends to return. He was accompanied by Australian officials including Ambassador Kevin Rudd and High Commissioner Stephen Smith, amid a throng of international and local media.

Also Read: All you need to know about WikiLeaks and why it got Assange in trouble

The hearing marked the culmination of the US government’s protracted pursuit of Assange, a figure viewed alternately as a champion of press freedom and a provocative figure for exposing vast troves of sensitive military data.

Inside the courthouse, against the backdrop of Saipan’s verdant hillsides, US government attorney Matthew McKenzie detailed the nature of the classified documents leaked by Assange’s source, Chelsea Manning, and published by WikiLeaks. McKenzie, Deputy Chief of the DOJ Counterintelligence Department, highlighted that Assange's interpretation of the First Amendment and Espionage Act diverged from legal realities.

“We reject those sentiments but accept that he believes them,” McKenzie stated.

Chief US District Judge Ramona V Manglona accepted Assange’s guilty plea and granted him freedom without supervision, factoring in his time served at London’s Belmont prison.

In her closing remarks, Judge Manglona remarked, “With this pronouncement, it appears you will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man. I hope there will be some peace restored.” Assange visibly moved, hugged his legal team.

Outside the courthouse, Assange’s lawyer Jennifer Robinson expressed gratitude to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his efforts in securing Assange’s release.

According to flight schedules, Assange is expected to depart Saipan shortly after noon local time, bound for Canberra, where he will reunite with his family, said WikiLeaks.

The US Justice Department agreed to hold the hearing on Saipan because Assange declined to travel to the mainland US and the island’s proximity to Australia.

The disclosed agreement, outlined in court filings earlier in the week, draws the curtain on a legal saga spanning over a decade. Throughout, Assange garnered global acclaim for exposing US military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet faced vehement opposition from successive US administrations, which argued his disclosures jeopardised lives.

Prior to his imprisonment in London, Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault, which were subsequently dropped.

The swift resolution allows both sides to claim some measure of victory, with the Justice Department avoiding a protracted trial amid logistical extradition challenges.

Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, expressed relief at the outcome, describing the last 72 hours as tense but ultimately gratifying. She confirmed details of the agreement would be made public pending judicial approval.

“He will soon be a free man once the judge signs off,” Stella Assange affirmed.

Assange left Belmarsh prison on Monday after being granted bail during a closed-door hearing, embarking on a journey that included a brief stop in Bangkok before arriving in Saipan. A video released by WikiLeaks captured Assange gazing thoughtfully out of the aircraft window at the expanse of blue sky.

“Imagine. From over five years in a small cell in a maximum security prison. Nearly 14 years detained in the UK. To this,” WikiLeaks wrote.