Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks, has been released from a London prison after over five years, following a dramatic plea deal that spares him extradition to the United States. The agreement hinges on Assange's admission of guilt to a single charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose U.S. national defense information, as reported by Reuters on June 24, citing filings from prosecutors in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

Under the terms of the deal, Assange is expected to receive a sentence of five years and three months, effectively time served during his confinement at London’s Belmarsh Prison since April 2019. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 25, with proceedings set to commence at 11:00 pm UTC, which translates to Wednesday morning at 9:00 am Chamorro Standard Time on Saipan.

WikiLeaks confirmed Assange's release in a statement on June 24, noting that he has been granted bail and has since departed the United Kingdom on a flight bound for his native Australia.

Assange's legal troubles stem from WikiLeaks' publication in 2010 of more than 700,000 classified U.S. documents and diplomatic cables related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, leaked by former military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. This publication sparked international debate and brought WikiLeaks into the spotlight, prompting financial blockades from entities like PayPal and turning the organization toward Bitcoin for fundraising. The cryptocurrency gained significant attention, notably when its elusive creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, cautioned WikiLeaks against leveraging Bitcoin due to the potential repercussions.

The extradition battle has been a long and contentious saga for Assange, who sought asylum in Ecuador's embassy in London for seven years to evade extradition to Sweden over sexual assault allegations that were subsequently dropped. Despite strong opposition from supporters and advocates for press freedom, Assange's extradition to the U.S. was pursued under the Trump administration, triggering widespread protests over concerns about the implications for journalism and free speech.

Assange's case has underscored broader debates about the boundaries of press freedom in the digital age, with advocates arguing that publishing classified information serves the public interest and should not be criminalized.