The U.S. reached a plea deal with the man who founded the website

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Australia: The case of the first amendment, the Espionage Act, and the American government

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange walked out of court a free man Tuesday after a hours-long court appearance Tuesday in which he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of violating the Espionage Act.

The legal saga involving the founder of WikiLeaks ended when the case was closed. He will return to Australia after the proceedings.

The Biden administration is being urged by Australian leaders to drop the criminal case. President Biden confirmed at a news conference in April that American authorities had been “considering” such a move.

The case against Assange centers around the publishing of more than 750,000 stolen US documents by WikiLeaks between 2009 and 2011. It has given enormous attention to the consequences on press freedom around the world. The Committee to Protect Journalists has warned for years that the case could jeopardize the ability of journalists to get and publish classified information even though the nation’s highest court has long recognized the right of journalists to do so.

Former assistant attorney general John Demers warned against publishing the names of confidential human sources in war zones, saying they could be exposed to grave dangers.

Several human rights and journalism groups backed the case of Assange, fearing the Espionage Act case against him could lead to the charging of journalists with national security crimes.

Then, the American government sought to extradite him, a process that limped through the courts for years. The plea deal averts more legal proceedings over the extradition that had been set for early July.

It would be challenging to win such a case given all the circumstances, but I believe that the First Amendment and the Espionage Act are in contradiction with eachother.

Will Julian Assange be with us all in the next few months? A video interview with Moris and Hrafnsson

Assange wore a black blazer, a white button-down shirt, dress pants and a gold-beige tie. He was mostly silent except for his counsel. He appeared composed and his tone was measured. He was very playful as he talked to the judge.

After answering basic questions from the Judge, he told him he would waive his right to indictment. When Manglona asked him whether he was happy with his legal representation, Assange replied: “That might depend on the outcome of the hearing,” prompting laughter.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor in chief, said in the same video captured outside Belmarsh that he hoped to see Assange for the last time inside its walls. If you can see it, it means he is gone.

In a video pre-recorded last week, Moris said he was confident that this period of their lives had ended. “I think by this time next week, Julian will be free.”

Ahead of the 2016 US presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, WikiLeaks published a trove of emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee. The leak, which embarrassed the DNC and won Assange praise from right-wing figures, was later revealed to be the work of notorious Russian hacking groups known as Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear, both affiliated with Moscow’s GRU military intelligence agency.