Julian Assange Free After US Court Accepts Plea Deal

Facts

• Julian Assange is free after a US court in the Pacific island of Saipan accepted his plea deal on Wednesday, bringing an end to a 14-year legal ordeal.¹
• News of the WikiLeaks founder's deal with the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) first started to spread early Tuesday, with his organization's social media releasing a video showing Assange — who had been in a UK prison for five years — board a plane ultimately headed for the US Pacific island a day earlier.²
• As per the terms of the agreement, Assange pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents. In exchange, he was sentenced to five years and two months of imprisonment — equivalent to his time served in the UK — meaning he was free to go at the end of the hearing.³
• During the three-hour proceedings, Assange said, 'Working as a journalist I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified in order to publish that information.' He added, 'I believed the first amendment protected that activity but I accept that it was…a violation of the espionage statute.'¹
• In response, Matthew McKenzie, representing the US DOJ, said, 'We reject those sentiments but accept that he believes them.'¹
• In accepting the plea deal and in handing down the sentence — which included banning Assange from returning to the US without permission — Judge Ramona V. Manglona said: '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.'¹
• After the hearing, Assange's chartered plane took him back to his native Australia, landing in the capital of Canberra just after 7:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.⁴

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²X, ³Al Jazeera and ⁴NBC.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. While Assange is a controversial figure who did break US laws, most can agree that this episode has gone on too long without resolution. As such, it's in the interests of justice and all involved for this deal to have been made and for Assange to be released after five years in prison.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Consortium News. While it is good news that Assange has been released, it cannot be said that justice has been done. Assange was doing important journalistic work and was imprisoned after exposing US war crimes. Justice would mean an apology from the US, compensation for all it has put him through, as well as putting the perpetrators of the war crimes — not those who exposed them — in prison.

Predictions