Julian Assange Leaves Prison After Cutting Deal with U.S.

After nearly five years in solitary confinement, Julian Assange walked out of London’s Belmarsh maximum security prison June 24 after agreeing to a plea deal with the U.S. government. According to its terms, in exchange for time served, Assange, 52, will confess to one felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security documents.

On June 26, Assange is scheduled to appear before a U.S. federal judge in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the South Pacific, where he is expected to be set free. He is then expected to fly to his native Australia, where public celebrations are underway. According to reports, Assange debt-financed a $500,000 private flight to avoid landing on the American mainland during the court process. His wife and supporters are crowdsourcing the flight bill, as well as expected medical costs related to years spent in solitary.

According to a letter posted by WikiLeaks, the plea arrangement was “the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice.”