ABC: Assange will appear in person on June 26 in court on the island of Saipan

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will appear in person on June 26 in court on the island of Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), where he will most likely admit his guilt as part of a deal with the US Attorney’s Office, ABC TV channel reports, citing Saipan authorities.

“Officials in Saipan confirmed to ABC that they expect Julian Assange to appear in court tomorrow morning.”notes the TV channel.

According to ABC, Assange is expected to plead guilty to the charges against him. The hearing is scheduled for 09:00 local time (02:00 Moscow time).

Earlier, WikiLeaks said that the founder of the organization, Julian Assange, was released from the British Belmarsh prison, where he had been in custody since 2019.

On March 26, the High Court in London allowed WikiLeaks founder, journalist Julian Assange, to appeal the decision to extradite him to the United States. If the journalist had been denied an appeal, he could have been extradited within a few days.

The court also gave the US authorities three weeks to provide guarantees that Assange could invoke the First Amendment to the US Constitution to protect freedom of speech, that he would not be disadvantaged in the process because of his citizenship, and that he would not be sentenced to death. If these guarantees are not provided, Assange will be allowed to appeal.

In 2010, Julian Assange was charged with sexual assault and rape in Sweden. At the same time, the victims in the case themselves reported that they were forced to testify under pressure. Since 2012, Assange has been hiding from prosecution in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, fearing extradition to Stockholm. On April 11, 2019, he was detained at the request of the United States. A London court found the journalist guilty of violating bail conditions and sentenced him to 11 months in prison.