Julian Assange is an Australian publisher and activist best known for founding WikiLeaks, a site that published large troves of classified and confidential documents from governments and corporations, especially from the United States.

Who Julian Assange Is

  • Julian Assange (born 1971) is an Australian computer programmer, publisher, and activist who founded the transparency organization WikiLeaks in 2006.
  • Through WikiLeaks, he became globally known for releasing leaked material that supporters frame as whistleblowing and critics frame as dangerous exposure of secrets.

What He Actually Did

  • WikiLeaks released hundreds of thousands of U.S. military and diplomatic documents, including the Afghanistan war logs (2010), Iraq war logs (2010), and U.S. diplomatic cables, many supplied by then‑Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
  • These releases exposed civilian casualties, alleged war crimes, and candid diplomatic assessments, which fueled massive debate about government transparency, war, and surveillance.

Why He Was Prosecuted

  • The U.S. government charged Assange with 18 counts, largely under the Espionage Act, accusing him of conspiring to hack into military databases and unlawfully obtaining and publishing national security information.
  • U.S. officials argued that the leaks endangered informants and military personnel, while Assange and his supporters said the case was politically motivated and a threat to press freedom.

Extradition, Asylum, and Prison

  • While facing a Swedish investigation over sexual-assault allegations (later dropped), Assange skipped UK bail in 2012 and sought asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy, where he lived for nearly seven years.
  • In 2019 British police arrested him after Ecuador withdrew asylum; he was jailed in the UK while the U.S. sought extradition, and his case became a symbol in global debates over journalism and state secrecy.

Latest News and Where Things Stand

  • In June 2024, Assange reached a plea deal with U.S. authorities, admitting to one charge related to obtaining and disclosing national defense information in exchange for his release from custody.
  • After his release, he made his first public statements emphasizing that he “pled guilty to journalism,” presenting himself as a journalist punished for exposing abuses, while critics still view him as reckless with classified data.

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