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Julian Assange is set free

WikiLeaks founder avoids more prison time in plea bargain with the US that has global implications for press freedom.

Julian Assange is set free
By Danylo Hawaleshka
Published On 26 Jun 2024

History Illustrated is a weekly series of insightful perspectives that puts news events and current affairs into historical context using graphics generated with artificial intelligence.

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been set free in a case with profound implications for freedom of the press around the world.
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been set free in a case with profound implications for freedom of the press around the world.
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In May, a British court, citing the right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights, granted Assange leave to appeal his extradition to the US, where he faced charges under the 1917 Espionage Act.
In May, a British court, citing the right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights, granted Assange leave to appeal his extradition to the US, where he faced charges under the 1917 Espionage Act.
Not that long ago the US was seen as a bastion for press freedom, a status bolstered in 1971 by the leak of the Pentagon Papers, top-secret documents that exposed how the US government had lied about the Vietnam War.
Not that long ago the US was seen as a bastion for press freedom, a status bolstered in 1971 by the leak of the Pentagon Papers, top-secret documents that exposed how the US government had lied about the Vietnam War.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court refused to curb the First Amendment right to a free press. It said the government had failed to show how publication would cause “grave and irreparable” harm.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court refused to curb the First Amendment right to a free press. It said the government had failed to show how publication would cause “grave and irreparable” harm.
The question of what the public has a right to know was raised again in 2010, when WikiLeaks published secret military and diplomatic documents.
The question of what the public has a right to know was raised again in 2010, when WikiLeaks published secret military and diplomatic documents.
The leak included a video taken on July 12, 2007, showing a helicopter attack on unarmed civilians in Iraq that killed 11 people, including two reporters. The military tried to cover it up.
The leak included a video taken on July 12, 2007, showing a helicopter attack on unarmed civilians in Iraq that killed 11 people, including two reporters. The military tried to cover it up.
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Assange, facing 175 years in prison, has now been released in a deal with the US that has him pleading guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disseminate classified information in exchange for time served.
Assange, facing 175 years in prison, has now been released in a deal with the US that has him pleading guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disseminate classified information in exchange for time served.
Assange, an Australian national, has agreed to return to his home country. Had he been prosecuted, some free-press advocates say journalists anywhere in the world could have been pursued by the US.
Assange, an Australian national, has agreed to return to his home country. Had he been prosecuted, some free-press advocates say journalists anywhere in the world could have been pursued by the US.
While Assange’s supporters celebrated, some noted he paid a high price, one that others might still be forced to pay should they also choose to challenge government secrecy. “This deal contemplates that Assange will have served five years in prison for activities that journalists engage in every day,” said Jameel Jaffer at Columbia University.
While Assange’s supporters celebrated, some noted he paid a high price, one that others might still be forced to pay should they also choose to challenge government secrecy. “This deal contemplates that Assange will have served five years in prison for activities that journalists engage in every day,” said Jameel Jaffer at Columbia University.