The United Nations on Tuesday hailed the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from detention in Britain as "an important step towards resolving his case once and for all."
Assange is due to appear at a final hearing in a court in the Northern Mariana Islands of the United States after reaching a deal with American authorities that brings the curtain down on a years-long legal saga.
"We welcome the release of Julian Assange from prison in the United Kingdom," Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, told AFP, noting, however, that the final plea bargain had yet to be approved.
She continued: "As we have said before, this case raised a number of human rights concerns.
Assange agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate national defense information, according to a document filed with the court in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
Throssell said, "This prolonged detention of Assange also raises other concerns. We will continue to monitor developments in the coming days."
Assange's wife, Stella, confirmed that the WikiLeaks founder would be "free" after the American judge signed the historic deal.
She told BBC Radio, "I feel so happy. It's really amazing."
"We weren't really sure this was going to happen until the last 24 hours," she added.
She explained that the deal includes the time he has spent in jail so far, so if it is signed, "he will be free."
A chartered plane took Assange, 52, from London to Bangkok, where it stopped to refuel. He will then continue on to Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Stella reported that what had been reached was "an agreement in principle between Julian and the Department of Justice, to be signed by a judge in the Northern Marianas.
She added, "He will be free as soon as it is signed. It will happen sometime tomorrow" on Wednesday.
Stella Assange told the local British Press Association that her husband will pay $500,000 (£390,000) for the flight that will take him from London to Australia.
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