WikiLeaks Founder to Plead Guilty on US Spying, Conspiracy Charges

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to espionage and conspiracy charges against him in the US following his release from his UK prison sentence.

According to court papers filed on Monday, Assange is offering to surrender himself for a possible plea deal that could help him return to his home in Australia. The proposal is yet to be approved by the judge.

Assange's surrender to US authorities is expected to end years-long legal battles and hidings after releasing 700,000 classified US military documents on WikiLeaks.

The disclosed documents detailed the US's wrongdoings in its participation in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, including the so-called "Collateral Murder" video where American soldiers were shown killing civilians in Baghdad.

Assange's co-conspirator, former Army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning, was already charged with 35 years in prison in 2013 before being commuted by ex-President Barack Obama in 2017.

Assange May Only Face 62 Months in Prison

Although Assange is facing a life sentence for the 18 felony counts charged against him, CNN and NBC News expected Assange to only serve 62 months in credit to his time in Belmarsh security prison.

This came after US President Joe Biden reportedly struck a deal with Australia's prime minister to finally end the extradition dispute over Assange since the US government first pursued charges against him in 2012.

A court hearing over the WikiLeaks' founder is expected to start this coming Wednesday.

Also Read: Wikileaks Reveals That CIA Is Using Messaging Apps To Spy On Their Owners

What's Next for WikiLeaks?

While WikiLeaks has celebrated Assange's freedom and upcoming return to Australia on X (formerly Twitter), the future of the biggest data leak page about classified government documents remains uncertain.

So far, Assange has yet to disclose any plans to return to the non-profit group he co-founded in 2006 as the US government continues to crack down on the site's leakers and hackers.

Earlier in February, former CIA software engineer and WikiLeaks leaker Joshua Adam Schulte was sentenced to 40 years in prison for disclosing the largest amount of confidential US intelligence documents in history.

Schulte was responsible for the Central Intelligence Agency's "Vault 7" data leaks in 2017, revealing the agency's secret espionage operations on US citizens.