WikiLeaks founder to make first public statement post-prison release today
Julian Assange, the guy behind WikiLeaks, is all set for his first public appearance since getting out of prison. Today, he'll be speaking at the Council of Europe. The 53-year-old Australian internet publisher is expected to present evidence before the legal affairs and human rights committee, of the Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg, France. This assembly is made up of parliamentarians from several European countries.
Assange's hearing to focus on human rights implications
The hearing will focus on Assange's detention and conviction, especially their impact on human rights. This discussion is happening just before a wider debate on the same topic set for Wednesday. WikiLeaks has confirmed that Assange will be there in person, emphasizing the "exceptional nature of the invitation" from the Council of Europe.
Assange's legal journey: A recap
Assange was released in June after doing five years in a British prison. He had confessed to getting and leaking US military secrets, wrapping up a long legal fight with Justice Department prosecutors. Before he was locked up, Assange spent seven years in self-imposed exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, asking for asylum because of what he claimed was political persecution.
Controversial role in revealing US military operations
Assange was charged with receiving and publishing a ton of war logs and diplomatic cables, that revealed US military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan. While press freedom advocates praised him for exposing military behavior that could've stayed under wraps, critics say he put American national security and innocent lives at risk, crossing the line of traditional journalism responsibilities.
Assange's guilty plea and return to Australia
Assange's legal saga wrapped up when he pleaded guilty in a US district court on the Northern Mariana Islands, to a charge under the Espionage Act. He was accused of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and share classified national defense information. The judge handed him a sentence equal to the time he had already spent in the UK while fighting extradition to the US. By late June, Assange was back in Australia, a free man.
