- Julian Assange is finally free after spending 5 years in a UK jail.
- The Wikileaks co-founder boarded a private jet at Stanstead airport.
- Assange will plead guilty, seeing a 5 year term, which he has already served.
WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has left the U.K. for a Saipan courtroom, ending his years-long legal battle with the U.S. government.
After five years in a U.K. jail and nearly seven years in Ecuador’s London embassy, Assange boarded a private jet at Stansted Airport. He left the country for a courtroom on the Pacific island of Saipan, WikiLeaks announced on its X account.
Upon arriving in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, Assange is expected to receive a five-year sentence with credit for time already served in the U.K. U.S. prosecutors confirmed that he will plead guilty to conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents, effectively concluding his legal battles.
U.S. prosecutors have agreed to his request for a trial outside the continental United States, with Saipan being relatively close to Australia, his home, at roughly 3,000 kilometers away. If the judge accepts his plea, Assange will promptly return to Australia.
Arrested in the U.K. for breaching bail conditions while seeking asylum to avoid extradition, Assange faced charges related to publishing classified documents obtained from Chelsea Manning. Manning’s sentence was commuted by President Obama in 2013.
WikiLeaks, a publisher of leaked documents, and cryptocurrency share a rich history. Initially, at the request of Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, the nonprofit media organization refrained from accepting Bitcoin to avoid regulatory scrutiny. However, as financial pressures mounted, it began accepting Bitcoin donations, providing crucial funding and bolstering Bitcoin’s legitimacy.
Assange’s involvement with crypto extended further. In 2017, amid rumors of his death, he used the latest Bitcoin block hash as proof of life.
Notably, during his prolonged legal battles, WikiLeaks supporters formed a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) to fundraise for his defense. This effort has raised over 16,500 Ether, worth more than $55 million at current prices.
“Throughout the years of Julian’s imprisonment and persecution, an incredible movement has formed. People from all walks of life from around the world support not just Julian, but what Julian stands for: truth and justice,” said Stella Assange, the co-founder’s wife.
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