Media reports say WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to plead guilty on Wednesday to violating U.S. espionage law, in a deal that will end his imprisonment in the United Kingdom and allow him to return home to Australia.
Assange, 52, has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents.
Wikileaks said in a statement posted on social media platform X that Mr. Assange left Belmarsh prison in the UK on Monday before being bailed by the UK High Court and boarding a flight that afternoon.
“This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organizers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations," the statement said.
A video posted by Wikileaks on X reportedly showed Assange dressed in a blue shirt and jeans signing a document before boarding a private jet with the markings of charter firm VistaJet.
He will return to Australia after the hearing, the Wikileaks statement added, referring to the hearing in Saipan.
The Guardian reports that under the deal, which must be approved by a judge, Assange is likely to be credited for the five years he has already served and face no new jail time.
