Julian Assange’s plea deal is more about Biden’s fight for power than justice

The secret negotiations that led to Julian Assange no longer facing the prospect of being sentenced to up to 170 years in an American supermax prison gathered pace five months ago, when the US Department of Justice indicated for the first time that it would accept a plea deal.

Assange had to plead guilty to a single felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security material. In return he would face no more jail time, after spending five years in custody without trial.

In January, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese stressed that Assange, an Australian citizen, had spent far too long in limbo. At around the same time, US president Joe Biden stated that he favoured a resolution to the case, which had led to widespread international protests.