Julian Assange will be freed after striking plea deal with US authorities
The ConversationJUL 2024
Julian Assange to Be Freed After Accepting US Plea Deal
Above: Julian Assange supporters are seen at the Wired Next Fest 2024 at Castello Sforzesco on June 15, 2024 in Milan, Italy. Image copyright: Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Cotnributor/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
This is wonderful news, bringing an end to a 14-year prosecution of a journalist that should've never been started in the first place. It's disappointing that Assange will plead guilty — as he did nothing wrong in publishing documents that revealed US government wrongdoing — but it is good that his ordeal is finally coming to an end.
Narrative B
Assange endangered the lives of American troops in wartime and should face justice for his theft and publication of classified government documents. This plea deal is a massive miscarriage of justice and is a disservice to all the men and women who serve the US.