WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is expected to plead guilty to a single felony count of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information as part of a deal with U.S. prosecutors, according to court documents unsealed Monday evening. The agreement is anticipated to resolve his charges without further prison time.

The plea deal brings an end to a prolonged legal battle that began with Assange’s publication of classified military and diplomatic documents leaked by former American soldier Chelsea Manning in 2010. Some of these documents revealed possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Iraq. Assange will plead guilty in U.S. federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands and is expected to return to Australia. The plea agreement suggests he will not face additional sentencing beyond the time already served in London’s Belmarsh prison, where he has been held for the past five years.

Assange’s case has been controversial, with federal prosecutors charging him under the Espionage Act, a move criticized by First Amendment advocates and human rights organizations for its potential impact on press freedom. The deal could mean Assange will finally walk free after more than a decade of various forms of confinement, including seven years spent in Ecuador’s embassy in London and his subsequent imprisonment in Belmarsh.

The legal pursuit against Assange escalated in 2019 when the U.S. unsealed an indictment against him for conspiring to hack into a Pentagon computer network. This was followed by additional charges under the Espionage Act. These actions sparked significant backlash from press freedom groups and major U.S. media organizations, fearing a dangerous precedent for the prosecution of journalists.

Assange’s prolonged detention and potential extradition have been a point of international contention. Recently, the UK’s High Court allowed Assange to continue appealing against his extradition to the U.S., further delaying the process. Amidst these developments, President Joe Biden indicated earlier this year that he was considering a request from Australia to end Assange’s prosecution.

The international campaign to free Assange, supported by celebrities and press freedom advocates, has been persistent. In 2019, a UN Special Rapporteur on torture criticized the treatment of Assange by UK authorities, describing it as “psychological torture.” Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, who has been actively campaigning for his release, has expressed deep concerns for his wellbeing should he be extradited to the U.S.

Assange’s impending plea deal marks a significant moment in a case that has drawn global attention and debate over issues of press freedom, human rights, and government transparency.