Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks, delivered his first public remarks on October 1, 2024, since being released from a UK prison earlier in June. Speaking to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, Assange addressed his tumultuous legal journey and reiterated the core principles that led him to his years-long battle with U.S. authorities. His speech, laden with a critique of the legal system, emphasized his unwavering belief in the role of journalism in exposing corruption and holding governments accountable.
Assange began by reflecting on the decade of legal struggles that have defined his life. “I am not free today because the system worked,” he told lawmakers. “I am free today after years of incarceration because I pled guilty to journalism.” In his address, Assange stressed that his imprisonment and legal fight were a direct result of his pursuit of information, saying, “I pled guilty to seeking information from a source, guilty to obtaining information from a source, and guilty to informing the public what that information was”.
Breaking: The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has voted to confirm that Julian Assange was held as a political prisoner. pic.twitter.com/UkHdmD1aI5
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 2, 2024
Assange’s release in June 2024 came after years of high-profile legal battles. Most notably, he had been charged under the U.S. Espionage Act for publishing classified military documents. These documents included revelations about U.S. conduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, which many have argued exposed war crimes committed by American forces. The leak, one of the largest in U.S. military history, put Assange at the center of an international firestorm.
In his remarks, Assange portrayed his plea deal with U.S. prosecutors as a grim necessity. The deal led to his freedom after over a decade of confinement, which included years of self-imposed exile in Ecuador’s London embassy, followed by his arrest and detention at the UK’s maximum-security Belmarsh prison. While the deal allowed him to return to his native Australia, Assange expressed a deep sense of injustice over the outcome. He lamented that he would never have the opportunity to challenge the U.S. espionage accusations in court, effectively barring him from ever defending his actions in full.
NEW: Julian Assange just exposed the CIA in his first public hearing since his release. He says that they tried to assassinate him within the embassy, tried to attain DNA from his sixth-month-old son, had a CIA asset permanently track his wife, and attempted to hack and plant… pic.twitter.com/VWCNwPIR1Q
— Green Lives Matter (@Ultrafrog17) October 1, 2024
The WikiLeaks founder’s release was met with widespread attention. Assange’s wife, Stella, who had long campaigned for his freedom, had previously stated that he would need time to recover both physically and mentally from his years in solitary confinement. During his address, Assange hinted at the toll that this period had taken on him, mentioning that he was still grappling with the effects of his long imprisonment. “Isolation has taken its toll which I am trying to unwind,” he said, reflecting on the years he spent fighting extradition.
Assange’s remarks also touched on broader themes of whistleblower protection and the role of the press in holding governments accountable. He emphasized that the pursuit of truth through journalism had led to his predicament, but also to significant global conversations about the importance of press freedom. WikiLeaks, founded in 2006, became internationally famous in 2010 after it published hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military documents, revealing the inner workings of U.S. military actions and diplomatic efforts.
Assange’s story is one that has sparked debate over the limits of press freedom and government transparency. While many view him as a champion for free speech and a defender of the public's right to know, others see him as a criminal who endangered lives through his reckless dissemination of classified information. U.S. authorities, in particular, have long argued that his leaks endangered the lives of soldiers and diplomats, while Assange and his supporters maintain that his actions were in the public interest.
Looking ahead, Assange said his appearance at the Strasbourg hearing marked the first step in his efforts to raise awareness about the need to protect whistleblowers and journalists. Though he acknowledged that his personal legal battles might never fully be resolved, he expressed hope that his case could inspire broader reforms to ensure that those who expose government wrongdoing are protected, not persecuted.
