UK and US

Julian Assange and WikiLeaks

The Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Photo: Tristan Surtel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative only.

Status · Released — plea agreement June 2024

What happened

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange published leaked US military and diplomatic files from 2010. He lived in Ecuador's London embassy from 2012 until his arrest in April 2019, then spent five years in Belmarsh prison fighting US extradition through the English courts. In June 2024 he pleaded guilty in Saipan to one US count of conspiring to obtain and disclose national defence information, was sentenced to time served and returned to Australia.

Written from the official records below. Links checked 08 Nov 2026.

Official record

WikiLeaks founder pleads guilty and is sentenced for conspiring to obtain and disclose classified national defense information
US Department of Justice · published 25 Jun 2024
Julian Assange plea agreement (PDF)
US Department of Justice · published 25 Jun 2024
Assange v USA — judgments
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

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