Northern Mariana Islands, 26 June 2024– WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has officially pleaded guilty in a US court over the leak of classified documents, thereby resolving his long-standing legal issues.

On Wednesday, June 26, Assange appeared in court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory, where he admitted to his involvement in the unauthorized disclosure of classified US military information. This plea agreement with US authorities stipulates the removal of the classified information from WikiLeaks, leading to his release from US custody. Assange has since left for his native Australia.

Earlier this week, on Monday, June 24, Assange was released from a UK prison following a 12-year legal battle. In 2010-2011, he gained international notoriety for leaking millions of documents from the US Department of Defense, which sparked global controversy and debate over the limits of government transparency and press freedom.