WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange heads to Australia after U.S. guilty plea
SUMMARY
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from a court in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, after pleading guilty to violating U.S. espionage law. The plea deal allowed him to return to Australia, ending a 14-year legal saga. Assange spent over five years in a British high-security jail and seven years in asylum at the Ecuadorean embassy in London. During the hearing, he accepted that his actions violated the espionage statute but believed they were protected by the First Amendment. His release, due to time served, was praised by his legal team and the Australian government. Assange is expected to reunite with his family in Australia.
