who is julian assange

Julian Assange is an Australian-born publisher, computer programmer, and activist best known as the founder of WikiLeaks, a platform that publishes leaked and classified documents from governments and corporations.

Basic profile

• Full name: Julian Paul Assange.

• Born: 3 July 1971, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

• Roles: Computer programmer, editor, publisher, activist, and founder of WikiLeaks.

What is WikiLeaks?

WikiLeaks is an online publication organization Assange founded in 2006 to act as a secure “dead letter drop” for whistleblowers, aiming to release primary- source documents with minimal editorial filtering.

It became globally known for releasing large troves of classified or sensitive material, especially from governments and militaries, sparking intense debate over transparency, national security, and press freedom.

Major leaks and fame

• In 2010, WikiLeaks published the “Collateral Murder” video showing a U.S. military helicopter attack in Baghdad, followed by massive leaks such as the Afghan War Diary and U.S. diplomatic cables.

• These publications turned Assange into a symbol of radical transparency to some and a reckless threat to security to others.

Legal troubles and asylum

Assange has faced a prolonged series of legal battles, including a Swedish investigation over sexual assault allegations (later dropped) and U.S. charges under the Espionage Act related to the leaks.

To avoid extradition, he lived inside Ecuador’s embassy in London for nearly seven years (2012–2019), then spent about five more years in a high-security British prison while fighting U.S. extradition.

Recent developments and “latest news”

In 2024, Assange reached a plea deal with U.S. authorities: he pled guilty to a single U.S. charge of obtaining and disclosing national defense information, which allowed him to leave British custody and return to Australia.

Since his release, he has made limited public appearances, framing his plea as a choice of “freedom over unrealizable justice” and describing what he did as “journalism,” a stance that continues to fuel global press-freedom debates.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.