Julian Assange to Walk Free After Plea Deal

Julian Assange's plea deal hearing commenced in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. He is expected to plead guilty to violating U.S. espionage law and return home to Australia. The U.S. chose the Pacific island for its proximity to Australia and to avoid Assange’s travel to the mainland U.S.

(Updates with background in paragraphs 2-4) SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands, June 26 (Reuters) - J ulian Assange's plea deal hearing began on Wednesday in a courtroom on the U.S. Pacific island territory of Saipan where he is expected to walk free after a deal with U.S. prosecutors.

Assange is expected to plead guilty to violating U.S. espionage law and will be allowed to return home to Australia after spending years fighting extradition to the U.S. while being held in a British prison. Assange, 52, has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified U.S. national defense documents, according to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.

The U.S. territory in the western Pacific was chosen due to Assange's opposition to traveling to the mainland U.S. and for its proximity to Australia, prosecutors said.