DOJ plea deal could see Assange avoid extradition

The US government is reportedly considering offering Julian Assange a plea deal under which he would be released from jail in Britain without setting foot in America.

Department of Justice officials are considering allowing the Australian Wikileaks founder to plead guilty to mishandling classified information, which carries a lower sentence than the espionage charges he faces for publishing thousands of classified files on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Assange, pictured, has been in a protracted legal battle to avoid extradition to the US to face the charges, and is currently imprisoned in Belmarsh prison, where he has been for almost five years.

The Wall Street Journal reported that officials were drawing up plans for a plea deal with Assange’s lawyers but had not yet reached an agreement.

If the deal went ahead, the time he has spent in prison in the UK would count towards his US sentence, potentially making his release imminent. He would also likely be allowed to plead remotely, removing the requirement to attend court in the US.

A UK court is considering a lastditch appeal from Assange, which argues that extradition would threaten his right to free speech. A British judge previously ruled in 2021 that he should not be extradited due to concerns about his mental health, but this decision was overturned after an appeal by the US government.

Assange’s lawyers argue that he has been subjected to a politically motivated prosecution by the US in retaliation for revealing embarrassing government secrets. They say that under the current espionage charges, he faces up to 175 years in jail.