Julian Assange is a world-renowned and controversial figure thanks to his activism concerning politics, promotion of free speech, and a long-running extradition saga.
Assange is incarcerated in His Majestys Prison Belmarsh, a category A prison, in London, England. The United States is currently seeking Assanges extradition.
What did Julian Assange do to the United States?
Julian Assange has been indicted on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over the publication of thousands of military and diplomatic documents on Wikileaks that whistleblower Chelsea Manning leaked.
Despite being well-known globally, many are unaware of Assanges personal history.
Born on July 3rd, 1971, in Queensland, Australia, Julian Paul Hawkins entered the world and, unfortunately, into a broken family. His parents, Christine Ann Hawkins and John Shipton, had separated before his birth.
However, his mother was quickly remarried to a man named Brett Assange. Julian would consider this man his father and legally change his last name to reflect that.
Christines relationship troubles didnt end there. She divorced again and became involved with a man that Assange would later describe as a member of an Australian cult.
This resulted in a very transient and nomadic childhood for Assange who would live in more than thirty different Australian towns before his mid-teens.
A troubled home life and sporadic schooling did not dull Assanges intellect. He excelled in the fields of physics, computer programming, and mathematics.
He studied at the University of Melbourne but did not complete his degree as he had already begun his descent into illegal activity distracting him from his schooling.
Assange was only sixteen in 1987 when he began hacking under the name Mendax. He allegedly hacked into highly classified systems, including NASA and the Pentagon.
Within a few years, in 1991, he was discovered hacking into Nortel a Canadian multinational telecommunications corporation with offices in Melbourne.
Within three years, Assange was facing over thirty charges regarding hacking and related crimes. In 1996, he pled guilty to twenty-four of these charges, with the others being dropped.
He was ordered to pay reparation fees for his crimes and was released on a good behavior bond. The presiding judge took pity on Assange for his upbringing and noted a lack of malicious behavior.
Most would take this as an opportunity to make a fresh start and abstain from any illegal activity, but not Assange. This brush with the criminal justice system did not deter him. In fact, it pushed him toward his next venture founding WikiLeaks.
Established in 2006, WikiLeaks was originally conceptualized to mimic the effects of Daniel Ellsbergs release of the infamous Pentagon Papers. Assange desperately wanted WikiLeaks to become a shortcut between political or classified information leaks and the coverage offered by media outlets.
Despite the company being established in Australia, its servers were quickly moved to countries like Sweden, where Assange knew there was greater legal protection for media sources.
The purpose of WikiLeaks was simple in Assanges mind, to bring any important information or news to the public with accurate and applicable sources to ensure the reputability of the content.
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However, Assange used WikiLeaks to upload any content he deemed worthy of the public eye, including classified and protected information.
WikiLeaks began making international headlines in 2010 after thousands of highly classified documents were published. A United States army intelligence specialist and analyst, Chelsea Manning, provided this series of leaks.
The published information contained intelligence relating to the war in Afghanistan and field reports from the war in Iraq.
After this occurred and WikiLeaks became the focal point of international attention, it was clear that the company had published hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables, which provided highlights and intel to nearly three hundred United States embassies worldwide. This would become known as Cablegate.
WikiLeaks would publish further classified information regarding the United States. In April 2011, the Guantanamo Bay file leak took the world by storm.
This leak highlighted hundreds of classified reports on detainees, past and current, that had been held at the United States detention camp in Cuba. It revealed disturbing amounts of coerced confessions, many from mentally disabled individuals and even children.
The flow of information would be constant, as Assange had always wanted. There was even more classified intelligence on the Syria Files, Kissinger Cables, United States National Archives, Saudi Arabian documents, and the Yemen Files.
Such leaks only enhanced the case the United States Government was building against Assange.
After the initial release of the Chelsea Manning material, the United States authorities had immediately begun investigating WikiLeaks and Assange hoping to prosecute him under the Espionage Act.
This was only further amplified during the Chelsea Manning trial when the existence of chat logs between an international interlocutor (Assange) was brought to light. There was also a warrant for Assanges arrest in Sweden, where he was wanted for charges of sexual assault.
In 2012, fearing extradition to the United States, Assange went to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and applied for political asylum, which he was granted.
Assange remained in the Embassy until 2019, when his asylum was finally revoked, and the London Metropolitan Police subsequently arrested him.
Following his arrest and imprisonment, a United States indictment was made public, initially charging Mr Assange with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and charges related to his involvement with Chelsea Manning.
However, since the initial charges, a United States grand jury has added charges related to espionage, all of which could result in a prison sentence of up to one hundred and seventy-five years.
For the last number of years, the United States has made extradition request after extradition request. All the while, Julian Assanges lawyers have strived to halt it.
In the summer of 2022, the United Kingdoms High Court ruled that Assange could be extradited, and then-UK Home Secretary Priti Patel gave her stamp of approval.
However, this has yet to occur as Assange appealed the extradition order of the British authorities on July 1st, 2022.
Despite Mr Julian Assanges obvious crimes against the United States, his supporters contend that he should not be extradited.
The argument in his favor relates to his right to free speech and the freedom of the press. Many view Assange as an activist and laud his investigative journalism. He is seen as a journalist who has exemplified the phrase dont shoot the messenger.
Originally posted here:
What Did Julian Assange Do to the United States?
- UK ruling on Assange extradition resets the game. What happens next? - Al Jazeera English - May 25th, 2024
- Assange Won a Victory, but the Fight Isn't Over - Jacobin magazine - May 25th, 2024
- Why Wikileaks' Julian Assange faces US extradition demand - BBC - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the U.S., a British court ... - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange wins right to appeal against extradition to US - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- The Assange Case: A Flicker of Hope in the UK High Court - CounterPunch - May 25th, 2024
- The U.K. Will Let Assange Appeal Extradition, as Pressure Mounts on Biden To Drop Charges - Reason - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder Assange wins right to appeal against an extradition order to the US - The Associated Press - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the U.S., a British court has ruled - NPR - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, UK court rules - CNN - May 25th, 2024
- UK: 'Positive news' for defenders of press freedom as Assange granted permission to appeal - Amnesty International - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange wins right to appeal against extradition: how did we get here and what happens next? - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- Timeline of the Assange legal saga over extradition to the US on espionage charges - The Associated Press - May 25th, 2024
- CPJ welcomes UK High Court decision to hear Julian Assange appeal - Committee to Protect Journalists - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange's Extradition Appeal Hearing: What Could Happen? - The New York Times - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange's appeal to avoid extradition will go ahead. It could be legally groundbreaking - The Conversation - May 25th, 2024
- The Guardian view on Julian Assange: time to dial this process down - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- UK dispatch: WikiLeaks founder Assange allowed to appeal extradition to US as hundreds gather outside High Court - JURIST - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Can Appeal His Extradition to the US, British Court Says - WIRED - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange faces judgment day in years-long fight to stay out of US court - The Hill - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, UK court rules - WABC-TV - May 25th, 2024
- The case against Julian Assange has been a cruel folly. His right to appeal is a small step towards justice - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- Explained: The case against WikiLeaks Julian Assange, who can now appeal his extradition to the US - The Indian Express - May 25th, 2024
- Watch: Outside High Court as Julian Assange wins bid to appeal US extradition - The Independent - May 25th, 2024
- Wikileaks Assange Gets Another Shot at Extradition Appeal - Bloomberg - May 25th, 2024
- Assange wins High Court bid to appeal against extradition to US over spying charges - The Independent - May 25th, 2024
- End the punishment: On Julian Assange - The Hindu - May 25th, 2024
- U.K. High Court Grants Julian Assange the Right to Appeal U.S. Extradition - Democracy Now! - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange wins right to appeal extradition to United States - UPI News - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange London hearing could decide whether the WikiLeaks founder is extradited to the US - Fox News - May 25th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, UK court rules - WPVI-TV - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange's Wife Urges Joe Biden to Drop Pursuit of Husband as he Wins Right to Appeal US Extradition Byline ... - Byline Times - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange Extradition Ruling: Everything We Know About WikiLeaks Case - Newsweek - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange Has Secured a Rare Legal Victory, But Press Freedom Still Hangs in the Balance - The Wire - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange can appeal extradition to the US, London High Court rules - The Register - May 25th, 2024
- Julian Assange Can Appeal Against Extradition To The U.S., London Court Rules - HuffPost - May 25th, 2024
- British court says Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the US over espionage charges - Salon - May 25th, 2024
- There is a way out of the Assange legal quagmire the US should drop the case - The Guardian - May 25th, 2024
- London court says Assange can appeal extradition to the US - Euronews - May 25th, 2024
- Timeline of the Julian Assange legal saga as he makes a final bid ... - PBS - May 15th, 2024
- New Blog Article on ThinkCareBelieve: The Future of Free Speech Hangs on Important UK Court Decision For Julian ... - Yahoo Finance - May 15th, 2024
- WikiLeaks founder's fate will be known in just 7 days - Pearls and Irritations - May 15th, 2024
- Julian Assange: Final UK legal challenge to stop WikiLeaks' founder's ... - May 15th, 2024
- Julian Assange Extradition Decision: What to Know - The New York Times - April 28th, 2024
- Julian Assanges mission was to change the world - but at what cost? - CNN - April 28th, 2024
- Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner calls on Joe Biden to release Julian Assange in letter handed to U.S. Consulate - Radio Habana Cuba - April 28th, 2024
- Justice Department Reportedly in Discussions With Julian Assange Over Potential Plea Deal - The New York Sun - March 21st, 2024
- Julian Assange could plead guilty to lesser offence to avoid extradition to US - The Telegraph - March 21st, 2024
- WSJ: The Justice Department reportedly is negotiating a deal that would set Assange free - Voz Media - March 21st, 2024
- Minute by minute - The Guardian - March 21st, 2024
- Julian Assange's legal team sees 'no indication' of resolution in extradition case - SBS News - March 21st, 2024
- Last Days of Julian Assange in the United States - Consortium News - March 21st, 2024
- Assange in plea deal talks - Pearls and Irritations - March 21st, 2024
- UK/US: Time to end prosecution of Julian Assange, UN expert says - Pearls and Irritations - March 13th, 2024
- Julian Assange's brother will attend the State of the Union address as Rep. Thomas Massie's guest - Reason - March 13th, 2024
- Assange, Phillips, and the End of Rights - The American Conservative - March 13th, 2024
- Julian Assange: Australian politicians call for release of WikiLeaks ... - February 17th, 2024
- Australian lawmakers approve motion calling for release of Julian Assange - The Associated Press - February 17th, 2024
- Artist says he'll destroy $45M worth of Rembrandt, Picasso and Warhol masterpieces if Julian Assange dies in prison - CBS News - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange: Australian politicians call for release of WikiLeaks founder - BBC.com - February 17th, 2024
- 'Devastating': wife of imprisoned journalist Julian Assange mourns death of Alexei Navalny - Pearls and Irritations - February 17th, 2024
- Law professors to DOJ: Drop Assange prosecution - Freedom of the Press Foundation - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange "Will Die" If Extradited To US, Says His Wife - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer - February 17th, 2024
- Russian Artist Threatens to Dissolve $45 M. of Artworks by Picasso, Rembrandt if Julian Assange Dies in Prison - ARTnews - February 17th, 2024
- The International Court of Justice has made it difficult for the public to view the Assange extradition hearing - Boing Boing - February 17th, 2024
- US will 'throw the book' at Julian Assange if extradited - MSN - February 17th, 2024
- Australia approves motion urging Britain to return Julian Assange - UPI News - February 17th, 2024
- On eve of British hearings, Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton speaks out: This is Julian's last chance in the UK courts - WSWS - February 17th, 2024
- Days Before Extradition Hearing, Australian Parliament Tells US to Drop Assange Case - Common Dreams - February 17th, 2024
- Rule of Law and Raison d'Etat: Julian Assange Must be Released - CounterPunch - February 17th, 2024
- Australian Parliament Approves Motion Calling for Release of Julian Assange - Democracy Now! - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange extradition appeal verdict to be revealed in few days - Al Mayadeen English - February 17th, 2024
- 'Julian Assange Is Not Superhuman What Is Being Done to Him Is Unworthy of Any Democracy' Byline Times - Byline Times - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange 'will die' if extradited to US, wife warns - The Independent - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange 'will die' if extradited to US, his wife warns - Evening Standard - February 17th, 2024
- The fate of the free press is in your hands: join the Assange protest next week - Morning Star Online - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange 'will die' if extradited to US, wife warns - Yahoo News Australia - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange: law professors warn of threat to US constitution - Law Gazette - February 17th, 2024
- PETER HITCHENS: We all have an interest in saving Julian Assange - Daily Mail - February 17th, 2024
- Julian Assange 'will die' if extradited to US, his wife warns - MSN - February 17th, 2024