Julian Assange to Plead Guilty to Espionage Charge

Wikileaks Founder Reaches Deal with US

After 12-Year Legal Battle

A long legal battle involving Julian Assange appears to be finally reaching its end after the founder of the Wikileaks website agreed to a deal with American authorities. Assange, who founded Wikileaks in 2006, has been wanted by the US for years on charges of espionage and computer hacking.

According to sources close to the case, Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing classified information. In exchange for his plea, the US has agreed to drop 17 other charges against him.

Assange is expected to be sentenced to five years in prison, but he could be released early for time served. He has already spent seven years in prison, including time served in the UK and Ecuador.

The plea deal is a significant development in the long-running legal saga surrounding Assange and Wikileaks. The website has published a number of high-profile leaks, including the US diplomatic cables leak in 2010 and the DNC email leak in 2016.

Assange's supporters have argued that he is a journalist and publisher who is being persecuted for exposing government secrets. US authorities, however, have argued that he is a hacker who has endangered national security.

The outcome of the Assange case will have implications for freedom of the press and the ability of whistleblowers to expose government wrongdoing.