Julian Assange is flying back to Australia after a 12-year legal battle. Here’s what we know about his US plea deal.
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00:00Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has finally concluded his 12-year legal battle
00:05against extradition to the United States.
00:10After being released from a British prison, he is now on his way back to his home country
00:15of Australia. Assange, a controversial figure, has spent the past five years in a high-security
00:21UK prison, and nearly seven years before that seeking refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in
00:27London to avoid arrest. His alleged role in publishing nearly half a million secret military
00:33documents related to the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan led to a felony charge.
00:40On Monday, Assange, now 52, agreed to a plea deal that allows him to avoid prison in the US
00:48and return to Australia as a free man. However, he must first make a court appearance in a remote
00:54US territory in the Pacific. This plea deal marks the end of a long legal saga for Assange,
01:01who has faced numerous challenges and obstacles in his fight against extradition.
01:07His return to Australia will undoubtedly be a significant moment for him and his supporters.