VIDEO: Assange's Case Officially Dropped

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has had his case officially dropped following a deal with U.S. authorities. He left the courtroom as a free citizen, according to reports from U.S. media.

The hearing took place at the federal district court in the Northern Mariana Islands (U.S. territory) on Saipan, where Assange traveled from London. Assange pleaded guilty to one of 18 charges, specifically for violating the espionage act. Following this, Judge Ramon Manglona stated that it would be fair and reasonable to consider the 62 months Assange spent in London's Belmarsh prison as a sufficient sentence.

“You may exit the courtroom as a free citizen,” the judge told him.

U.S. authorities have also withdrawn their extradition request. Assange has been ordered to instruct WikiLeaks to destroy any U.S. classified information.

The judge repeatedly asked Assange if anyone had attempted to intimidate him into making a deal, to which he responded, “No.”

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicated that Assange is prohibited from visiting the U.S. without permission. “The court has accepted that Assange has not caused any harm with his publications, which are purely of a journalistic nature,” stated his lawyer Barry Pollack.

WikiLeaks’ activities will continue. Assange was welcomed outside the court with applause. He has since departed for Canberra, Australia.

According to ABC, Assange is required to pay $520,000 for a charter flight from London to Australia. It is noteworthy that on June 24, a London court decided to release Assange on bail from Belmarsh prison, where he had spent 1,901 days.

Assange gained worldwide recognition by founding WikiLeaks, which has published countless classified materials, including footage of the deaths of civilians in Baghdad due to an American helicopter strike.

Assange faced up to 175 years in prison in the U.S. for the largest number of charges related to the disclosure of classified information in American history.