![WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange free ahead of anticipated US plea deal](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/Assange-supporters.jpg)
Julian Assange is free after 12 years of confinement, having negotiated a plea deal with the US Department of Justice on charges related to his website WikiLeaks’ publication of classified materials. In 2006, Assange founded WikiLeaks, a website reputed for high-profile releases of leaked classified documents, including unredacted US diplomatic cables and sensitive defense information. [...]