‘EARLY HAPPY BIRTHDAY’

What Chief U.S. District Judge Said to Julian Assange After His Guilty Plea

Chief Judge Ramona V Manglona had a few words for the WikiLeaks founder during his court appearance in the small U.S. territory of Saipan.

Julian Assange appeared emotional as he interacted with a judge in a federal United States court as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, according to The Guardian. In Saipan, a small U.S. territory approximately 4,000 miles from Hawaii in the Northern Mariana Islands, Assange pleaded guilty to one charge of espionage. “Not many people recognize we are part of the United States, but that is true,” Chief Judge Ramona V Manglona said, according to ABC Australia. She noted no actual physical harm was caused due to Assange’s actions, along with his time in one of the U.K’s harshest prisons, sentencing him to time served. “I am not imposing any period of supervised release,” Manglona said. An “emotional” Assange nodded as Manglona said, “it appears this case ends with me here in Saipan,” according to The Guardian. “With this pronouncement it appears you will be able to walk out of this courtroom a free man. I hope there will be some peace restored.” As Assange spoke to Manglona, he sounded “a little hoarse,” according to The Guardian, before tightening his tie and holding his glasses in his hand. Manglona concluded: “With that ... Mr Assange, it’s apparently an early happy birthday to you, I understand your birthday is next week. I hope you will start your new life in a positive manner.” The court was then adjourned and Assange hugged his legal team. Outside court, Assange’s U.S. lawyer Barry Pollack described it as an “unprecedented prosecution.”