WikiLeaks founder officially pleads guilty

In a June 26 trial on Saipan Island, the main island of the Northern Mariana Islands - a US territory in the Pacific Ocean, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange officially pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US defense documents.

Mr. Julian Assange leaves the court in Saipan on June 26. Photo: REUTERS

U.S. District Judge Ramona V. Manglona accepted his guilty plea and released the WikiLeaks founder after he completed his prison term after being detained in the UK since 2019.

Earlier, on June 25, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, born in Australia, reached a plea deal that would free him from British custody and end his 14-year legal journey.

Mr. Julian Assange arrives at court in Saipan on June 26. Photo: REUTERS

Under the agreement, Mr. Julian Assange pleaded guilty to one count and was sentenced to 62 months in prison for this crime. On June 25, Mr. Assange left the UK and went to Saipan to appear in court on the island.

After the three-hour trial ended, Mr. Julian Assange left Saipan on a private plane accompanied by the Australian Ambassadors to the US and UK. The plane is expected to land in Canberra (Australia) at 7:00 p.m. on June 26 (local time), or 4:00 p.m. the same day Vietnam time.

The plane carrying Mr. Julian Assange took off from Saipan after the trial on June 26. Photo: REUTERS

In 2010, WikiLeaks shocked the world when it published hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This was considered the most serious security leak in the history of the US military. In addition to military documents, WikiLeaks also revealed a series of sensitive diplomatic cables.

Mr. Assange was indicted under the administration of former President Donald Trump in connection with the massive release of classified US documents. The source of the leak was identified as Chelsea Manning, a former US military intelligence analyst, who was also indicted under the Espionage Act.

Mr Assange has spent more than five years in Britain’s Belmarsh prison and seven years in hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, as he fights sex crime charges in Sweden and fights extradition to the US. He faces 18 charges that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison in the US.

The Australian government has been campaigning for the founder’s release and has repeatedly raised the issue with the US. US President Joe Biden’s agreement to consider it has raised hopes that the legal battle against Mr Assange will end after years.

VNA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nha-sang-lap-wikileaks-chinh-thuc-nhan-toi-post746353.html