Julian Assange has walked out of a US District Court, officially as a free man.
Assange pleaded guilty to one count: conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information relating to the national defence of the United States, in violation of 18 USC, section 793(g).
In the courtroom were NMI District Court Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, US Probation Officer Juanette F. David-Atalig and US Attorney McKenzie.
When handing down the sentence, Judge Ramona said: “Given the factual basis that accounts for the whole saga of events that constitutes the basis for this very serious espionage charge against you, I am in fact sentencing you to a period of time served,”
“I am not imposing any period of supervised release.”
“You will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man,” Judge said to Assange.
Sentencing accounts for time already served in a British maximum security prison, meaning Assange can now return to Australia as a free man.
The WikiLeaks founder’s legal team made a statement outside a United States Pacific territory court in Saipan after a judge accepted his guilty plea to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents
Assange’s legal team spoke outside the court in Saipan.
“The prosecution of Julian Assange is unprecedented,” Lawyer Barry Pollack said.
“In the 100 years of the Espionage Act, it has never been used by the United States to pursue a publisher, a journalist, like Mr Assange.
“Mr Assange revealed truthful, newsworthy information, including revealing that the United States had committed war crimes.
“He has suffered tremendously in his fight for free speech, for freedom of the press, and to ensure that the American public and the world community gets truthful and important newsworthy information.
“We firmly believe that Mr Assange never should have been charged under the Espionage Act and engaged in an exercise that journalists engage in every day and we are thankful that they do.
“It is appropriate though, for this fight and it is appropriate for the judge as she did today to determine that no additional incarceration of Mr Assange would be fair, appropriate, and it is time for him to be reunited with his family.
“Mr Assange is grateful for all of the support that he has received and looks forward to reuniting with his wife and his children and getting back home to Australia.”
WikiLeaks has posted on X stating Assange is expected to board a flight to Canberra within hours.
A private jet carrying Assange, his support team including Australia’s ambassador to the UK Stephen Smith landed in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, at about 6.15am on Wednesday.US
Ambassador Kevin Rudd was seen exiting a vehicle with Julian Assange before entering the court.
![SAIPAN, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS - JUNE 26: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is joined by Kevin Rudd, Australian Ambassador to the U.S. as he arrives to the United States Courthouse where he is expected to enter a guilty plea to an espionage charge ahead of his expected release on June 26, 2024 in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, was to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands in Saipan on Wednesday for a change of plea hearing. Following his expected guilty plea to a felony charge under the Espionage Act, Assange is anticipated to be sentenced to time served and subsequently released, paving the way for his return to Australia after years of incarceration. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)](https://images.thewest.com.au/publication/C-15147061/f358d1fcca00eef784bf7cdc1239b1a3ce339c03.jpg?imwidth=810&impolicy=wan_v3)
Wikileaks and his family say Assange will now return to Australia, which could be as soon as Wednesday evening.
More to come…
With AAP