The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

WHY IS JULIAN ASSANGE FLYING TO THE PACIFIC ISLAND OF SAIPAN?

BETTER KNOWN for its sandy beaches and World War II wrecks, the tropical Pacific island of Saipan will soon host the final act of Julian Assange’s 14-year legal odyssey.

Assange is en route to a courtroom on the island, where he is expected to plead guilty on Wednesday to a single criminal charge in a plea deal that will see him walk free and return home to Australia.

Where is Saipan?

Saipan is the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), a US commonweal­th in the western Pacific, which begins roughly 70 km north of Guam and stretches across 14 islands.

Like territorie­s such as Guam or Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands are part of the US without the full status of a state.

The roughly 51,000 residents are US citizens but cannot vote in presidenti­al elections. Crucially, some, like Saipan, also host US district courts.

The US took control of Saipan during World War II. After decades under US control, residents in 1975 voted to join the US as a territory. The territory has a permanent delegate in the US House of Representa­tive.

Tourism is the mainstay of Saipan’s economy — the island and its surroundin­gs are dotted with World War II memorials and wrecks popular with divers. Saipan, which is home to most of the Northern Mariana’s residents, is popular with Korean and Chinese tourists. It is the only part of the US that Chinese citizens can enter without a visa.

That unique status has opponents in Congress, who worry about the risk of espionage by Chinese nationals.

Why is Assange heading there?

US prosecutor­s said Assange wanted to go to a court close to his home in Australia, and not in the continenta­l United States.

Saipan has the advantage of being relatively close to Assange’s home — it is roughly 3,000 km away. Hawaii is more than twice as far away.

“He has to front up to charges that have been brought under US law,” said Emily Crawford, a professor at the University of Sydney's law school.

“It had to be US territory but it had to be the US territory closest to Australia that wasn't a US state like Hawaii.”

What happens next for Assange?

US prosecutor­s said Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defence documents in exchange for a sentence of 62 months already served.

If the judge approves his plea, Assange is expected to return to Australia after the hearing, US prosecutor­s said.