The federal court of the Northern Mariana Islands in Saipan ordered the immediate release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after the latter entered a plea of guilty to a single felony count under the Espionage Act. Judge Ramona Manglona said that Assange would be leaving the courtroom "a free man."
Judge Manglona gave Assange credit for 62 months in a UK prison as adequate enough to serve as his sentence. "You will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man," she assured.
Assange made the plea earlier on Tuesday as part of an agreement with the Justice Department to end his years' long legal saga and avoid additional time behind bars.
He has been transferred to the Pacific Ocean's US territory, the Northern Marianas, after being released from a UK prison where he was detained for more than five years.
At the hearing, the former Prime Minister of Australia and current US Ambassador, Kevin Rudd, and the High Commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith, were within the precincts of the court.
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