Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, spoke to European lawmakers on Tuesday, sharing his perspective on his recent guilty plea to US espionage charges. Assange stated that the plea was necessary due to the inadequacy of legal and political efforts to secure his freedom. “I eventually chose freedom over an unrealisable justice,” he remarked during his first public comments since his release from prison.
Assange, 53, returned to Australia in June after a deal that involved pleading guilty to violating US espionage laws, effectively concluding a 14-year legal battle in Britain. “I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism, pleaded guilty to seeking information from sources, and pleaded guilty to obtaining information from a source,” he said. His statements were made before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights at the Council of Europe, an organization known for its commitment to human rights.
A report from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe labeled Assange a political prisoner and urged an inquiry into his treatment while in custody. Dressed in a black suit with a burgundy tie, Assange sat alongside his wife, Stella, and WikiLeaks’ editor, Kristinn Hrafnsson, as he read his prepared remarks. He acknowledged the toll of isolation, saying, “I am yet not fully equipped to speak about what I have endured.”
Stella Assange noted that her husband would need time to regain his health and spend time with their two children, whom he had never met outside of prison. WikiLeaks has been at the center of controversy for publishing classified US military documents and videos related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which highlighted issues such as prisoner abuse and civilian casualties. US authorities have criticized the leaks as reckless, asserting that they compromised national security and endangered lives.
