Julian Assange don free: Wetin to know and timeline of di Wikileaks founder legal palava

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange don waka go as free man from one US court after pleading guilty inside one deal to end years-long legal battle

E no go face any further prison time and dey on im way back to Australia, after di hearing wey happun for Northern Mariana Islands, one US territory.

Di remote Pacific islands, wey be US commonwealth, dey much closer to Australia dan US federal courts for Hawaii or di continental US.

Meanwhile, The US Department of Justice (DOJ) don release a statement afta di sentencing and freeing of Julian Assange.

Inside, di full details of im case and di outcome of di plea deal dey laid out in detail.

As part of di deal, Assange don dey "banned from returning to di United States without permission" according to di DOJ.

However, im wife Stella don tell Reuters say dem go seek a pardon for im conviction - wey, if e dey successful, fit mean e fit one day step back on American soil without restrictions.

Na on Tuesday tori first break say after years of legal palava, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange comot from UK after reaching a deal with US authorities wey go see am plead guilty to criminal charges and go free.

Assange, 52, bin dey charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

For years, US bin don argue say di Wikileaks files - wey disclose information about Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endanger lives.

Assange bin spend di last five years inside one British prison, from where e bin dey fight extradition to di US.

On X, di platform wey dey formerly known as Twitter, Wikileaks bin say Assange comot Belmarsh prison on Monday after 1,901 days inside one small cell.

Dem come "release am for Stansted airport for afternoon, wia e enter plane and depart from UK" to return to Australia, di statement add.

Julian Assange wife Stella wey follow Wednesday developments, almost word for word - bin dey post live updates.

After dem declare Assange a free man, she post one picture on X of her husband wearing a t-shirt with di word "truth" wey dem print on am.

Earlier on, Stella Assange, bin don tweet thank you to im supporters "wey don mobilise for years and years to make dis come true".

Assange and im lawyers bin don claim for long time say di case against am dey politically motivated.

For April, US President Joe Biden say e bin dey consider a request from Australia to drop di prosecution against Assange.

Di following month, UK High Court rule say Assange fit bring a new appeal against extradition to di US, wey allow am to challenge US assurances over how im prospective trial go dey conducted and whether im right to free speech go dey infringed upon.

After di ruling, im wife Stella tell reporters and supporters say make di Biden administration "distance itself from dis shameful prosecution".

Wikileaks, wey Assange found for 2006, claim to don publish over 10 million documents inside wetin US government later describe as "one of di largest compromises of classified information in di history of the United States".

Wetin Julian Assange plead guilty to?

US prosecutors bin originally wan try di Wikileaks founder on 18 counts - mostly under the Espionage Act - over di release of confidential US military records and diplomatic messages related to di wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Inside statement wey list di 18 charges, back for 2019, US government accuse di Wikileaks founder of conspiring to break into US military databases to acquire sensitive information.

Assange deny di charges, e say di leaks na act of journalism.

But on Wednesday, Assange only answer to one charge.

But Assange no go spend any time for US prison because, under di agreement, e go dey credited for di approximately five years e spend for jailed for UK.

If dem bin convict am of di original 18 offences, Assange lawyers say e fit face up to 175 years in jail, although US government say a four to six years sentence dey more likely.

Wetin be di US charges against Julian Assange?

Julian Assange bin agree to plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

For years, di US government argue say di Wikileaks files - wey disclose information about Iraq and Afghanistan wars - endanger lives.

Dem indict am for US during di Trump administration and prosecutors originally bin wan try am on 18 counts.

Most of dem bin dey under di 1917 Espionage Act, wey mostly criminalise di mishandling of government records "relating to di national defense" of di US.

Press freedom advocates don argue say di law dey archaic and charging journalists under am set a dangerous precedent.

Wetin be Wikileaks and wetin dem don leak?

Since dem launch for 2006, Wikileaks dey known for publishing thousands of classified documents covering everything from di film industry to national security and wars.

For 2010, e publish one video from a US military helicopter wey show di killing of civilians for Baghdad, Iraq.

E also publish hundreds of thousands of documents leaked by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, wey dem arrest, imprison and later free.

Documents relating to di war for Afghanistan reveal how di US military bin kill hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents.

Further documents from di Iraq war reveal say 66,000 civilians na im dem kill - more dan bin dey reported. Di documents also show say prisoners bin dey tortured by Iraqi forces.

You fit read more about di mata here.

US government don continue to argue say di leaks put pipo lives at risk.

Timeline of Assange legal troubles

Dis na some of di key moments. Our timeline begin around di same time wey di ogbonge Wikileaks information come out.

Who be Julian Assange?

To im supporters, Julian Assange na campaigner for truth. To im critics, e be publicity seeker wey don endangere lives by putting plenti sensitive information for di public domain.

Dem born Assange for Townsville for di Australian state of Queensland for 1971 and e first become a father at 18.

For 1995, dem accuse am of dozens of hacking activities. Assange eventually plead guilty - e only escape a jail term on di condition say e no go do am again.

E also chook hand for di world of academia - co-writing one bestselling book on di emerging, subversive side of di internet, before studying physics and maths.

Assange set up Wikileaks for 2006 - making headlines around di world four years later with im high-profile disclosures of classified US documents.

Read more about di man behind di leaks here.