Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has concluded his multi-year legal battle by accepting a plea deal. Bitfinex blog. This resolution prevents his extradition to the United States and results in his immediate release.
A revisit of the turbulent WikiLeaks saga
Founded in 2006 by Julian Assange, WikiLeaks aimed to provide whistleblowers with a safe platform to expose unethical behavior and human rights abuses. The organization gained global attention in 2010 after the release of classified US military documents and diplomatic cables, including the infamous ‘Collateral Murder’ video. This footage shows a 2007 US helicopter attack in Baghdad, which caused global outrage and significantly influenced public opinion on US military actions.
The US government and its allies responded with strict measures, including a financial blockade PayPal, Visa and MasterCard. In response, WikiLeaks adopted Bitcoin in 2011, allowing it to bypass traditional financial channels and continue operations. This move not only preserved WikiLeaks’ operations, but also underlined Bitcoin’s potential as a censorship-resistant financial instrument.
The tide turns for Assange and a witch hunt begins
Assange’s personal ordeal intensified in late 2010 when Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant for him on allegations of sexual misconduct. Assange and his supporters argued that these charges were politically motivated to discredit him and facilitate extradition to the US. In 2012, Assange applied for asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he remained for almost seven years.
In 2019, Ecuador revoked Assange’s asylum, leading to his arrest by British authorities. He was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for violating bail conditions and faced additional US charges, including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and multiple charges under the Espionage Act. Human rights organizations and freedom of expression advocates condemned these accusations and considered them a threat to press freedom.
Welcome home Mr. Assange! A look at the plea deal and release
Assange’s plea deal marks a major turning point in his long legal saga. He agreed to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information as part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice. This plea deal facilitated his immediate release, crediting time already spent in a British prison.
The agreement stipulated that Assange would be sentenced to 62 months, equivalent to the time he had already spent in custody, so that he would not face additional prison time in the US. The proceedings were brought in a US federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands to accommodate Assange’s opposition to traveling to the mainland United States. After the court approved the settlement, Assange was released from Britain’s high-security Belmarsh prison and is now a free man.
The resolution of Assange’s legal battle through this plea deal ends more than a decade of intense legal wrangling and international controversy. As Assange prepares to return to a normal life in Australia, his case continues to resonate, especially regarding press freedom and the treatment of whistleblowers. The implications of revealing state secrets and balancing national security with the public’s right to know remain crucial issues raised by Assange’s journey.
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