Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is set to make his first public appearance since being released from a UK prison. He will address the human rights organization Council of Europe on October 1 and provide evidence to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg.
According to a recent report by PACE, Assange was held as a political prisoner and endured a lengthy detention in a high-security prison despite the political nature of the charges against him. The committee passed a draft resolution expressing concern over his harsh treatment and warned about its chilling effect. It called on the United States, an observer state of the Council of Europe, to investigate alleged war crimes and human rights violations disclosed by Assange and Wikileaks.
The committee stated that it considers the charges brought against Assange by US authorities, as well as the penalties under the Espionage Act for engaging in acts of journalism, to be disproportionately severe. They believe these charges fall within the definition of a political prisoner according to a 2012 Assembly resolution.
Furthermore, they argued that his detention exceeded what is reasonable for extradition purposes. The committee also alleged that failure by US authorities to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and human rights violations created an impression that prosecuting Assange was intended to hide wrongdoing rather than protect national security.
Assange returned to Australia after reaching a plea deal with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), pleading guilty in late June to one felony count under the Espionage Act for publishing classified military documents. His wife, Stella Assange, confirmed his upcoming appearance in Strasbourg and described it as an exceptional break from his recovery.
Assange had been held at Belmarsh high-security prison since 2019 after being removed from Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he had sought refuge for seven years. He was accused of assisting Chelsea Manning in stealing military documents and diplomatic cables for publication on WikiLeaks. Prosecutors argued that releasing these documents endangered lives during wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
