Assange Strikes Plea Deal, Ends Decade-Long Legal Saga
Submitted by MAGA Student
Posted 3 days ago
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has struck a plea deal with the U.S. government, bringing an end to a years-long international saga over his handling of national security secrets.
Assange is preparing to plead guilty to a single count of conspiring to obtain and disclose information related to the national defense in a U.S. federal court in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, this week.
Under the terms of the agreement, Assange faces a sentence of 62 months, equivalent to the time he has already served at Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom while fighting extradition to the United States. He is expected to be released and to return to his home country of Australia following the court proceeding later this week.
Australian leaders have been lobbying the Biden administration to drop the criminal case for years. President Biden confirmed at a news conference in April that American authorities had been “considering” such a move.
A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted Assange on espionage and computer misuse charges in 2019, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest compromises of classified information in American history.
The indictment accused Assange of conspiring with then-military Private Chelsea Manning to obtain and then publish secret reports about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and sensitive U. S. diplomatic cables. Prosecutors said Assange published those materials on his site WikiLeaks without properly scrubbing them of sensitive information, putting informants and others at grave risk of harm.
Assange’s case attracted support from human rights and journalism groups including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, fearing the Espionage Act case against Assange could create precedent for charging journalists with national security crimes.
Assange’s interactions with the justice system have followed a byzantine path. Assange spent seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after Swedish officials accused him of sexual assault, an arrangement that appeared to frustrate both Assange and his hosts.
Ultimately, Swedish police withdrew the accusations, but, next, authorities in the U. K. took him into custody for allegedly violating bail.
Then, the American government sought to extradite him, a process that limped through the courts for years. The plea deal averts more legal proceedings over the extradition that had been set for early July.
Assange’s WikiLeaks also published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee that upended the 2016 presidential race. Russian intelligence officers were subsequently indicted in connection with the hacking in 2018, in a case brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller. At a joint news conference with then-President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin days later, Trump contradicted the indictment and the intelligence community, saying that Putin was "extremely strong and powerful in his denial" that Russians interfered in the 2016 election to help him win.
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison, but her sentence was commuted by Obama in the final days of his presidency in 2017. Manning was subsequently held in contempt of court for nearly a year after she refused to answer questions for a grand jury; she was then released after an attempted suicide.
Assange’s plea deal marks a significant development in a case that has been closely watched by human rights and journalism groups. The case has raised questions about the limits of press freedom and the government’s ability to prosecute individuals who publish classified information.
The plea deal also comes at a time when the Biden administration has faced criticism from some quarters for its handling of national security leaks. In recent months, the administration has faced scrutiny over its handling of leaks related to the Afghanistan withdrawal and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assange’s plea deal is likely to be welcomed by those who have long argued that the case against him was politically motivated. However, it is also likely to be met with criticism from those who believe that Assange should have been held accountable for his actions.
Regardless of one’s views on the case, it is clear that Assange’s plea deal marks a significant development in a case that has been closely watched by human rights and journalism groups. The case has raised questions about the limits of press freedom and the government’s ability to prosecute individuals who publish classified information.
As the case comes to a close, it is likely that these questions will continue to be debated in the months and years ahead.
Sources:
npr.org
nbcnews.com
Assange is preparing to plead guilty to a single count of conspiring to obtain and disclose information related to the national defense in a U.S. federal court in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, this week.
Under the terms of the agreement, Assange faces a sentence of 62 months, equivalent to the time he has already served at Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom while fighting extradition to the United States. He is expected to be released and to return to his home country of Australia following the court proceeding later this week.
Australian leaders have been lobbying the Biden administration to drop the criminal case for years. President Biden confirmed at a news conference in April that American authorities had been “considering” such a move.
A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted Assange on espionage and computer misuse charges in 2019, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest compromises of classified information in American history.
The indictment accused Assange of conspiring with then-military Private Chelsea Manning to obtain and then publish secret reports about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and sensitive U. S. diplomatic cables. Prosecutors said Assange published those materials on his site WikiLeaks without properly scrubbing them of sensitive information, putting informants and others at grave risk of harm.
Assange’s case attracted support from human rights and journalism groups including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, fearing the Espionage Act case against Assange could create precedent for charging journalists with national security crimes.
Assange’s interactions with the justice system have followed a byzantine path. Assange spent seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after Swedish officials accused him of sexual assault, an arrangement that appeared to frustrate both Assange and his hosts.
Ultimately, Swedish police withdrew the accusations, but, next, authorities in the U. K. took him into custody for allegedly violating bail.
Then, the American government sought to extradite him, a process that limped through the courts for years. The plea deal averts more legal proceedings over the extradition that had been set for early July.
Assange’s WikiLeaks also published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee that upended the 2016 presidential race. Russian intelligence officers were subsequently indicted in connection with the hacking in 2018, in a case brought by then-special counsel Robert Mueller. At a joint news conference with then-President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin days later, Trump contradicted the indictment and the intelligence community, saying that Putin was "extremely strong and powerful in his denial" that Russians interfered in the 2016 election to help him win.
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison, but her sentence was commuted by Obama in the final days of his presidency in 2017. Manning was subsequently held in contempt of court for nearly a year after she refused to answer questions for a grand jury; she was then released after an attempted suicide.
Assange’s plea deal marks a significant development in a case that has been closely watched by human rights and journalism groups. The case has raised questions about the limits of press freedom and the government’s ability to prosecute individuals who publish classified information.
The plea deal also comes at a time when the Biden administration has faced criticism from some quarters for its handling of national security leaks. In recent months, the administration has faced scrutiny over its handling of leaks related to the Afghanistan withdrawal and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assange’s plea deal is likely to be welcomed by those who have long argued that the case against him was politically motivated. However, it is also likely to be met with criticism from those who believe that Assange should have been held accountable for his actions.
Regardless of one’s views on the case, it is clear that Assange’s plea deal marks a significant development in a case that has been closely watched by human rights and journalism groups. The case has raised questions about the limits of press freedom and the government’s ability to prosecute individuals who publish classified information.
As the case comes to a close, it is likely that these questions will continue to be debated in the months and years ahead.
Sources:
npr.org
nbcnews.com
