WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been freed after pleading guilty to violating U.S. espionage laws in a landmark deal on the Pacific island of Saipan. During the hearing, Assange admitted to conspiring to obtain and publish classified U.S. defense documents, citing a belief in First Amendment protections for journalism. Chief U.S. District Judge Ramona V. Manglona accepted his plea, citing time served in a British jail. Assange, accompanied by Australian diplomats, will return to Canberra, ending a lengthy legal saga marked by extradition battles and international controversy.
