Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, said in public remarks in Strasbourg, France, that his imprisonment had set a dangerous precedent.
The Wikileaks founder is flying home to Australia following a hearing held in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory.
The deal ends a period of confinement that lasted about a dozen years, first in the self-exile of the Ecuadorean embassy in London, then in prison.
Assange is expected to return to his home country of Australia after his plea and sentencing.