Julian Assange Wikileaks Case Files
Julian Assange Wikileaks
Julian Assang Born Born on July 3, 1971, in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
His mother, Christine Ann Hawkins, was a visual artist, and his stepfather, Brett Assange, was a theater director. Assange’s family moved frequently when he was a child, and he was educated with a combination of homeschooling and correspondence courses. Assange showed an early talent for programming and hacking and was involved in a hacking group called “International Subversives” under the alias “Mendax.” TIn 1991, Australian authorities charged Assange with 31 counts of cybercrime; he pleaded guilty to most of them. At sentencing, he was given only a small fine, with the judge acknowledging that his actions stemmed from youthful curiosity rather than malicious intent. Over the next decade, Assange traveled extensively, studied physics at the University of Melbourne (though he withdrew before completing his degree), and worked as a computer security consultant. He plead guilty to 24 charges but was released on a good behavior bond.
His relationship with his family has been strained due to his long-term confinement. In 2021, Assange married Stella Moris, a South African lawyer who had been part of his legal team They married inside London’s Belmarsh prison
– where Mr Assange was held at the time – in 2022. and with whom he has two children.
Founding WikiLeaks
Julian P Assange
Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006 with the aim of creating a secure platform for whistleblowers to publish sensitive documents anonymously. WikiLeaks gained international attention in 2010 after it released a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. The most notable releases included the “Collateral Murder” video, the Afghan and Iraq war logs, and over 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables. These leaks had a profound impact on global politics and perceptions of U.S. foreign policy, stirring both support and condemnation.
Additional documents from the Iraq War, released by WikiLeaks, revealed that over 66,000 civilians had been killed—significantly more than previously reported. The documents also exposed cases of prisoner torture conducted by Iraqi forces, bringing to light the extent of human rights abuses during the conflict.
Among the trove of leaks were over 250,000 diplomatic cables sent by U.S. officials, which uncovered controversial practices. One revelation showed that the U.S. sought to gather “biographic and biometric” information—including iris scans, DNA samples, and fingerprints—of key officials at the United Nations, sparking concerns about privacy and diplomatic ethics.
WikiLeaks also published approximately 573,000 intercepted pager messages that were sent during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The messages include personal communications between families checking on their loved ones and reactions from various government agencies as the events unfolded.
One notable message read: *“President has been rerouted, won’t be returning to Washington but not sure where he will go,”* reflecting the uncertainty and chaos of that day. The release of these messages provided a unique, real-time insight into how individuals and institutions responded to one of the most significant events in modern history.
In the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, WikiLeaks published thousands of hacked emails from the account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. The emails revealed internal communications within the Clinton campaign and sparked widespread controversy.
One email showed Podesta referring to Clinton’s Democratic primary opponent, Bernie Sanders, as a “doofus” for his criticism of the Paris climate agreement. Another email suggested that a CNN contributor had tipped off the Clinton campaign about a debate question that would be asked during an upcoming event hosted by the network.
The timing of the leaks, which were released just weeks before the election, led to accusations that WikiLeaks was attempting to undermine Clinton’s campaign. Critics argued that the disclosures were strategically timed to damage her reputation and influence the outcome of the election.
In 2015, WikiLeaks published more than 170,000 emails and 20,000 documents from Sony Pictures, which had been hacked a few months earlier. The cyber-attack occurred shortly before the release of *The Interview*, a film that mocked North Korea, leading many to believe that the hack was in retaliation for the movie.
The leaked emails exposed numerous controversies within the company. They revealed that actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid significantly less than their male co-stars in *American Hustle*. Other emails included disparaging comments from producers and executives about celebrities, such as insults aimed at Angelina Jolie. Leonardo DiCaprio was also described as “despicable” for turning down a role in a Sony Pictures film.
Julian Assange defended the publication, stating that the emails were of public interest as they provided insight into the operations of a major multinational corporation and were “at the center of a geo-political conflict.” The leaks drew attention to both gender pay disparities and the sometimes unflattering views of Hollywood executives.
Arrests
Julian P Assange
Assange spent nearly seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, seeking refuge to avoid prosecution and potential extradition. Following his arrest in 2019, he spent an additional five years in a British prison while contesting his extradition to the United States.
In 2010, Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant for Assange over allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied, claiming the charges were politically motivated. Facing extradition to Sweden, Assange sought asylum in the Embassy of Ecuador in London in 2012. He remained there for almost seven years to avoid extradition, fearing that it could lead to his extradition to the United States, where he faced charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified material.
April 2010: WikiLeaks publishes a video titled ” Collateral Murder,” showing a U.S. military helicopter attacking and killing civilians in Iraq.
August 2010: Swedish prosecutors issue an arrest warrant for Assange over two separate allegations of sexual assault, which he denies as being “without basis.”
December 2010: Assange is arrested in London but is soon released on bail. He begins a legal battle to fight the international arrest warrant.
May 2012: The UK Supreme Court rules that Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning over the sexual assault allegations.
June 2012: Assange seeks refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, avoiding extradition.
August 2012: Ecuador officially grants Assange asylum. Speaking to reporters from the embassy balcony, Assange calls on the U.S. to end what he describes as a “witch-hunt” against WikiLeaks.
February 2016: A UN panel determines that Assange has been “arbitrarily detained” by UK and Swedish authorities and calls for his immediate release.
May 2017: Sweden’s director of public prosecutions announces that the sexual assault investigations against Assange have been dropped.
October 2018: The Ecuadorian embassy imposes a new set of house rules on Assange. That same month, Assange initiates legal action against the Ecuadorian government, accusing it of violating his “fundamental rights and freedoms.”
November 2018: It is disclosed that the U.S. Department of Justice has secretly filed charges against Assange.
In April 2019, Ecuador revoked Assange’s asylum status, and he was arrested by British police. He was later sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching bail conditions. Subsequently, the U.S. requested his extradition on charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and violations of the Espionage Act. As of 2023, Assange remains in Belmarsh Prison in the UK, while his extradition case is still under consideration.
May 2019: Assange is sentenced to 50 weeks in Belmarsh Prison for breaching his bail conditions.
May 2019: A U.S. federal grand jury indicts Assange on 17 additional charges under the Espionage Act, bringing the total number of felony charges against him to 18.
May 2019: Sweden reopens its sexual assault investigation, and Assange begins contesting the U.S. extradition request in the UK courts.
November 2019: Swedish prosecutors drop their rape investigation due to insufficient evidence.
Julian Assange’s release from a UK prison was the result of a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to a single charge under the U.S. Espionage Act. This agreement means that Assange will not serve any time in a U.S. jail. The plea deal was reportedly reached following intense diplomatic efforts and pressure from Australia, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stating that the case had “dragged on too long.”
The plea hearing took place in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. The decision to hold the hearing there was unusual but allowed for a swift conclusion to the legal saga.
The shift in the case’s trajectory came after U.S. President Joe Biden indicated he would consider a formal request to drop some of the charges, a comment welcomed by Assange’s supporters, who highlighted his deteriorating health as a pressing concern.
Stella Assange, Julian’s wife, suggested that a “breakthrough” was achieved after the UK High Court began reviewing her husband’s constitutional protections under freedom of the press. This development may have pushed the parties to seek a resolution, leading to Assange’s release and his return to Australia without facing further imprisonment in the U.S.
January 2021: A British judge denies the U.S. extradition request, citing concerns over Assange’s mental health. In December, the U.S. successfully appeals to overturn the decision.
June 2022: The UK government approves Assange’s extradition to the U.S., but his legal team continues to fight the decision in appeals.
February 2024: Assange’s lawyers file a final legal bid at the High Court to prevent his extradition to the U.S.
May 2024: The High Court rules that Assange can file a new appeal against his extradition.
June 19, 2024: Assange signs a plea agreement with the U.S., and the High Court grants him bail.
June 24, 2024: Assange is released from prison on bail and boards a flight to a U.S. territory in the Pacific to finalize his plea deal.
June 25, 2024: Assange formally pleads guilty to one count of breaching the Espionage Act. As part of the agreement, he is allowed to walk free and returns to his native Australia.
Record
Court Records
WikiLeaks Founder Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Conspiring to Obtain and Disclose Classified National Defense Information
Julian P. Assange, 52, the founder of WikiLeaks, pleaded guilty June 25, 2024 to conspiring with Chelsea Manning, at that time a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, to unlawfully obtain and disclose classified documents relating to the national defense. After obtaining classified national defense information from Manning, and aware of the harm that dissemination of such national defense information would cause, Assange disclosed this information on WikiLeaks.
The guilty plea concludes a criminal matter that dates back to March 2018, when Assange was first indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia. There, and in superseding indictments, Assange was charged with conspiring with Manning, then a “Top Secret” U.S. security clearance holder, to further Manning’s unlawful acquisition and transmission of bulk classified information, including Manning’s use of a government computer to illegally download hundreds of thousands of classified documents and transmit them without authorization to WikiLeaks.
Beginning in late 2009, Assange and WikiLeaks actively solicited United States classified information, including by publishing a list of “Most Wanted Leaks” that sought, among other things, bulk classified documents. As set forth in the public charging documents, Assange actively solicited and recruited people who had access, authorized or otherwise, to classified information and were willing to provide that information to him and WikiLeaks—and also solicited hackers who could obtain unauthorized access to classified information through computer network intrusions. Assange publicly encouraged his prospective recruits to obtain the information he desired by any means necessary, including hacking and theft, and to send that information to Assange at WikiLeaks.
Between January 2010 and May 2010, in the course of the conspiracy with Assange, Manning used U.S. government computer systems to download hundreds of thousands of documents and reports, many of them classified at the SECRET level and relating to the national defense, which signified that unauthorized disclosure could cause serious damage to United States national security. In total, Manning downloaded four nearly complete U.S. government databases that contained, among other things, approximately 90,000 Afghanistan war-related significant activity reports, 400,000 Iraq war-related significant activity reports, 800 Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF GTMO) detainee assessment briefs, and 250,000 U.S. Department of State cables. Manning also downloaded files regarding rules of engagement in the Iraq war, most of which were classified at the SECRET level and which delineated the circumstances and limitations under which United States forces would initiate or conduct combat engagement with other forces.
2010 and 2011, Assange publicly disclosed via the WikiLeaks website hundreds of thousands of documents that Manning had taken without authorization and given to him, including approximately 75,000 Afghanistan war-related significant activity reports, classified up to the Secret level; 400,000 Iraq war-related significant activity reports, classified up to the Secret level; 800 JTF GTMO detainee assessment briefs, classified up to the Secret level; and over 100,000 State Department cables, some of which were classified up to the Secret level.
Julian Paul Assange Indictment
2018-03-06 Julian Paul Assange indictment_0_0
Julian Assange Extradition Affidavit
2020-07-14 Julian Assange Extradition-Affidavit
Assange Extradition Hearings Supplemental Statement of Professor Mark Feldstein
2020-09-07-Assange-Extradition-Hearings-Supplemental-Statement-of-Professor-Mark-Feldstein
Assange Judgment
2021-10-12 USA v Assange judgment
Supreme Court Certification Application 2021
2021-12-23 julian assange supreme court certification application 2021
Perry Brief
2022-03-11 Perry-brief-filed
Assange case President Biden
2023-11-07 Assange case Presiden Biden
President King Bench Division
2024-03-26 President King Bench division Assange-v-USA-Judgment
Felony Information Julian Paul Assange
2024-06-24 Felony Information Julian Paul Assange
Criminal Information
2024-06-25 criminal information
A Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to Review a Case
202202-15 Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the USC of Appeals
Psychiatric and Legal Issues Julian Paul Assange
Psychiatric and Legal Issues Julian Paul Assange