Julian Assange’s Guilty Plea: A Deal for Freedom
Julian Assange, the founder of whistleblower media group WikiLeaks, told European lawmakers on Tuesday that his guilty plea to U.S. espionage accusations was necessary because legal and political efforts to protect his freedom were not sufficient.
“I eventually chose freedom over an unrealisable justice,” Assange said, in his first public comments since his release from prison, addressing a committee at the Council of Europe, the international body best known for its human rights convention.
Assange, 53, returned to his home country Australia in June after a deal was struck for his release which saw him plead guilty to violating U.S. espionage law, ending a 14-year British legal odyssey.
“I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism, pleaded guilty to seeking information from a source, I pleaded guilty to obtaining information from a source and I pleaded guilty to informing the public what that information was,” he said.
WikiLeaks’ History
WikiLeaks in 2010 released hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military documents on Washington’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – the largest security breaches of their kind in U.S. military history – along with swaths of diplomatic cables.
Assange was indicted years later under the Espionage Act.
Assange’s Plea Deal
Speaking freely during a subsequent question and answer session, Assange looked moved when he told lawmakers the plea deal meant he would be barred from ever bringing a case to defend himself against the U.S.’s spying accusations.
“There will never be a hearing into what happened,” he said.
Life After Prison
Adapting to normal life after years of imprisonment included some “tricky things,” he said, like learning to be a father for two children who grew up without him and “becoming a husband again, including with a mother-in-law,” drawing some laughter from the crowd.
Background
Assange was first arrested in Britain in 2010 on a European arrest warrant after Swedish authorities said they wanted to question him over sex-crime allegations that were later dropped. He fled to Ecuador’s embassy, where he remained for seven years, to avoid extradition to Sweden.
He was dragged out of the embassy in 2019 and transferred to London’s Belmarsh top security jail for skipping bail.
Conclusion
Julian Assange’s guilty plea has sparked controversy and debate, with many questioning the motivations behind his decision. While some argue that it was a necessary step to secure his freedom, others believe that it compromises his principles and the integrity of WikiLeaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What did Julian Assange plead guilty to?
A: He pleaded guilty to violating U.S. espionage law, ending a 14-year British legal odyssey.
Q: Why did he plead guilty?
A: He said that legal and political efforts to protect his freedom were not sufficient.
Q: What does his guilty plea mean for WikiLeaks?
A: It means that he will be barred from ever bringing a case to defend himself against the U.S.’s spying accusations.
Q: How long was Assange imprisoned?
A: He was imprisoned for 14 years in the UK before being released in June.