Julian Assange has officially pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act. The federal courthouse in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. He was the founder of WikiLeaks was released from prison On June 24, after reaching an agreement with the US government, he quickly boarded a plane at Stansted Airport to go to Saipan. Although the deal required Assange to plead guilty to “conspiracy to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information relating to the national defense of the United States,” he still defended himself in court.
Julian arrived at the federal courthouse in Saipan.
I watch it and wonder how overwhelmed his emotions must be as he walks in front of the press after years of emotional breakdown and the four walls of high-security Belmarsh prison.
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) June 25, 2024
according to The Washington Post, argued that Assange should be protected by the First Amendment as a journalist. “Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be confidential in order to publish that information,” he said. “I believe the First Amendment protected that.” He also said he believed the First Amendment and the Espionage Act conflicted, but acknowledged his actions “violated the espionage statute” and that “given all the circumstances, it would be difficult to win a case like this.” situations.”
However, a US government lawyer accused him of encouraging personnel with high security clearances to leak classified military information and threaten national security. If you recall, WikiLeaks published classified information about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which was obtained under the direction of whistleblower and former Army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning.
Lawyers for both sides disputed the length of time Assange should spend in prison, but about three hours after the trial began, Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona ruled that the 62 months he spent in Belmarsh Prison was reasonable and equal to the time Manning served. Assange will never be imprisoned in the United States, but he must leave the US Northern Mariana Islands immediately. At the time of writing, the same private jet that took him from London to Saipain is waiting to take him to Canberra, Australia.
