The US government, according to The Wall Street Journal, is exploring the option of offering WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a plea deal. The Justice Department is contemplating the possibility of dropping the 17 current charges against him under the Espionage Act. This would be in exchange for Assange pleading guilty to a lesser offense of mishandling classified information, which is categorized as a misdemeanor.
Assange would be able to enter such a plea deal remotely from London’s HM Prison Belmarsh, where he has been incarcerated since April 2019. By accepting this plea bargain, the whistleblower would effectively end his prolonged legal battle against being extradited to the US on espionage charges. Additionally, the publication noted that since Assange has already spent five years in custody in the UK, it is likely that he would be released shortly after the deal is finalized.
In response to the report, one of Assange’s defense attorneys, Barry Pollack, said in a statement:
“It is inappropriate for Mr. Assange’s lawyers to comment while his case is before the UK High Court other than to say we have been given no indication that the Department of Justice intends to resolve the case and the United States is continuing with as much determination as ever to seek his extradition on all 18 charges, exposing him to 175 years in prison.”
Back in January 2021, a British judge ruled it would be ‘oppressive’ to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to the US.
“The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man, who is genuinely fearful about his future. I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” judge Vanessa Baraitser had concluded.
However, the decision was overturned after an appeal by US authorities.
In a filing to the UK court this February, lawyers representing the US government claimed Assange threatened “the strategic and national security interests of the United States and put the safety of individuals at serious risk.” In response, his defense lawyers argued in a hearing that Assange could become a target for “extra-legal attack elimination” by US security services.
During the two-day hearings of arguments over whether to grant the WikiLeaks founder a fresh appeal against his extradition on February 20 and 21, Assange was absent from court due to illness, his lawyers said. Outside, crowds of supporters demanded a ruling in his favor. However, the judges refrained from making an immediate decision. Now, in a matter of weeks, Britain’s High Court is expected to make its final decision.
Should Julian Assange exhaust all of his legal options in the UK, his wife, Stella, said earlier that they would apply to the European Court of Human Rights for an order under Rule 39 to stop the extradition while it considers his case.
Stella Assange has repeatedly claimed that her husband's extradition would result in his demise, underscoring that "his health is in decline, mentally and physically. His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison, and if he’s extradited, he will die."