June 26, 2024, Saipan (LIVE UPDATES added at bottom of text) - Court started 2 hrs ago.

Assange arrived at the court where a decision on his case will be made as part of a deal with American justice.

Chief Judge Ramona V Manglona told the court the charge was "conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information," which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10-years in prison.

When asked if he was prepared to enter a plea of guilty or not-guilty, Assange said "yes".

When asked on the specific charge,  Assange said "guilty".

and:   WikiLeaks has tweeted a flight from Saipan to Canberra which is where Julian Assange is set to fly to once the court proceedings have wrapped up. 

Flight VJT199 

Mr. Assange was asked to explain the charges in his own words.

"Working as a journalist I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified in order to publish that information," he explained.

"I believed the first amendment protected that activity. I believe the first amendment and the espionage act are in contradiction."

He later explained he was pleading guilty because fighting the case before courts would be challenging.

Judge accepted plea. Now in short recess.

Judge Manglona is speaking about the calculation of sentencing now. There’s a lot of legalese and reading of various provisions and guidelines.

She says Julian Assange is entitled a credit of time served for the entire time he has been imprisoned at Belmarsh, which he entered on 11 April 2019 – serving 62 months – as a direct result of the US government seeking his extradition.

She notes that Assange has described a “14 year ordeal” but she needs to work out how that 14 years applies here (given that most of it was not a formal prison sentence).

Assange’s lawyer says he entered the Ecuadorian embassy to seek asylum & remained there under threat of arrest for about seven years. That plus Belmarsh equals about 14 years that “Assange has had restrictions on his liberty”. The US government is only counting the Belmarsh years.

US attorney McKenzie says that’s correct. They are only counting the years after he was arrested in relation to this specific case.

Assange’s attorney makes the case for no further incarceration

Julian Assange’s attorney tells the court:

We’ll stand on the record in this case. This is an unprecedented prosecution [and] I think the court is aware Mr Assange has already suffered significant consequences, including ... his time in Belmarsh, and we believe given the guidelines, the lack of criminal history, and the nature of the conduct, that no further incarceration is warranted and time served is appropriate.

Assange declines to make his own statement in addition.

plea agreement Judge Manglona says a potential fine is in the range of $15,000 to $150,000.

The court hears Assange is unable to pay, and that the agreement recommends not applying a fine. There will be no forfeiture or restitution (as there is no individual victim in this case).

If Assange is released without a term of supervision, “the defendant would effectively be able to be considered free”, says Manglona.

McKenzie, for the US government, says the 62 months in Belmarsh is an “appropriate sentence of time served”.

Assange is being invited up to the lecturn directly infront of her, his two counsel standing beside him.“You stand before me to be sentenced in this criminal action,” Judge Manglona says. I would note the following: Timing matters. If this case was brought before me some time near 2012, without the benefit of what I know now, that you served a period of imprisonment ... in apparently one of the harshest facilities in the United Kingdom. There’s another significant fact – the government has indicated there is no personal victim here. That tells me the dissemination of this information did not result in any known physical injury. These two facts are very relevant. I would say if this was still unknown and closer to [2012] I would not be so inclined to accept this plea agreement before me. “But it’s the year 2024,” she continued, and she also has to consider the case and seven year imprisonment of Chelsea Manning. It appears your 62 months ... was fair and reasonable and proportionate to Ms Manning’s actual prison time. She also acknowledges Assange’s “14-year ordeal”.

Judge says Assange will walk from Saipan courtroom a free man “With this pronouncement it appears you will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man. I hope there will be some peace restored,” Judge Manglona says, noting the island of Saipan was this week celebrating 80 years of its own freedom. Now there is some peace, you need to restore with yourself when you walk out and pursue your life as a free man.

With that ... Mr Assange it’s apparently an early happy birthday to you, I understand your birthday is next week. I hope you will start your new life in a positive manner.

Court is adjourned.

Assange hugs his team and shakes hands with McKenzie and Anderson. He is tearing up. 

THE END...