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<p>Jullian Assange walks free from the Belmarsh prison. The controversial WikiLeaks founder is able to see the sun and smell fresh air after almost 1900 days. Assange has pleaded guilty to the charge of breaching the espionage law in the United States. With the deal in motion, the London court granted him bail, and now he is traveling to his home country Australia.</p>
<p>Assange 52, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents, according to a filing in the US District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands.</p>
<p>As soon as he left the prison, WikiLeaks went on social media to share JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE.</p>
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   <p lang="en" dir="ltr">JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE<br><br>Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a…</p>— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) <a href="https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/1805390138945528183?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">June 24, 2024</a>
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<p>On Monday, he was released from the high-security Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom and escorted to the airport, where he took a plane to leave the nation. At 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday (23:00 GMT on Tuesday), Assange will appear in court in the US Pacific territory of Saipan, where he will be sentenced to 62 months of the time he has already served.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="strong-a-history-of-exposing-secrets-strong"><strong>A History of Exposing Secrets</strong></h2>
<p>Julian Assange founded Wikileaks in 2006, and from 2007 to 2010, he published many disclosures, including the Yemen Drone Strike, Corruption in the Arab World, Extra Judicial Executions by Kenyan Police, and many classified media and news leaks while safeguarding the privacy of sources.</p>
<p>Assange rose to international prominence in 2010, shortly after uploading the “Collateral Murder” video, and his legal case began. WikiLeaks released a clip in which US airmen shot down Iraqi civilians.</p>
<p>According to the WikiLeaks documents, the US underreported the number of civilians killed during the counter-insurgency. It has also been revealed that two Reuter journalists and 12 unarmed civilians were shot dead. According to reports, 66,081 people died in the Iraq war, which is 80% more than the US government has previously recognized.</p>
<p>WikiLeaks kept on publishing vast troves of highly classified documents such as Afghanistan War logs, Guantanamo Bay files, and Syria files, among many other controversial leaks.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="strong-arrest-imprisonment-and-concerns-over-freedom-of-speech-strong"><strong>Arrest, Imprisonment, and Concerns Over Freedom of Speech&nbsp;</strong></h2>
<p>Assange’s stints of exposing government authorities put a target on his head, finally leading to his confinement at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. He remained there for seven years, beginning in 2012, until UK police, acting on orders from the US government, pulled him out in April 2019 for violating his bail terms by requesting asylum.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Under the U.S. Espionage Act, the U.S. Department of Justice filed many charges against the Wikileaks founder, with the total maximum sentence he could face theoretically exceeding 170 years.</p>
<p>Arguably, his right to seek legal protection was breached when he was forcibly removed from the embassy due to rising political pressure by US officials.</p>
<p>British Police then arrested him. Soon after the incident, he was convicted by a London court of skipping bail for which they sentenced him to 50 weeks in jail.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cryptotimes.io/2024/05/20/u-k-court-allows-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-to-appeal-extradition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">U.K. High Court gave relief</a> to Julian Assange, by allowing him to contest his extradition to the United States on May 20.</p>
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 <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="770" height="769" src="https://www.cryptotimes.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/assange.webp" alt="Julian Assange" class="wp-image-186433" srcset="https://www.cryptotimes.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/assange.webp 770w, https://www.cryptotimes.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/assange-300x300.webp 300w, https://www.cryptotimes.io/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/assange-768x767.webp 768w" sizes="(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px">
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="strong-fight-for-freedom-strong"><strong>Fight For Freedom</strong></h2>
<p>Julian Assange’s imprisonment sparked widespread criticism from journalists around the world. His case raised a crucial question: does it threaten freedom of speech?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Many journalists feared that if Assange, a non-US citizen, could be prosecuted in the US for publishing classified information, it would set a dangerous precedent. They argued that such actions could discourage journalists globally who seek information in the public interest, even if that information is classified.</p>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="strong-support-from-the-crypto-community-strong"><strong>Support from the Crypto Community</strong></h3>
<p>Assange legal team was facing economic issues, and to help him out in this dire situation his friends came up with AssangeDAO, inspired by the ConstitutionDAO, and raised money using tokenized NFTs.</p>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The “Censored” NFT Collection and AssangeDAO</strong></h4>
<p>Enigmatic and anonymous NFT creator, Pak whose artworks are as cryptic as his persona, <a href="https://www.cryptoblogs.io/censored-nft-collection-wikileaks-and-pak-join-forces-to-save-julian-assange/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">collaborated with WikiLeaks Founder</a> Julian Assange on for NFT Collection ‘Censored’, and AssangeDao raised funds to bid on this NFT, and give proceeds to Wu Holland foundation, that was fighting the case for Assange. The NFt project was a success and AssangeDAO was able to raise $46 million.<br><br>The Clock by Pak is also a unique NFT collection as it was programmed to Tik every day until Assange is free, and now since Jullian Assange is finally out of the prison, the mystery behind the Clock will also unfurl out in the open.<br><br>Silke Noa, a member of AssangeDAO recently <a href="https://www.cryptotimes.io/2024/06/25/assangedao-member-says-37m-spent-on-assanges-legal-fees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">revealed that $37 million has been spent</a> on Julian Assange’s legal defense.&nbsp;</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="strong-road-to-freedom-strong"><strong>Road To Freedom</strong></h2>
<p>Monday’s <a href="https://www.cryptotimes.io/2024/06/25/julian-assange-to-be-freed-after-pleading-guilty-to-espionage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">plea deal</a> comes as pressure mounted on US President Joe Biden to drop the long-running case against Assange.</p>
<p>In February, the Australian government issued an official request to this effect, and Biden stated that he would consider it, increasing optimism among Assange supporters that his ordeal might end. The Australian government stated at the time that Assange’s case had “dragged on for too long”.</p>
<p>Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he wanted Assange back in Australia as soon as possible.</p>
<p><strong>Questions for the Future</strong></p>
<ul>
 <li>What will be the final sentence handed down in Saipan?</li>
 <li>Will Assange face any further legal challenges?</li>
 <li>How will WikiLeaks operate moving forward?</li>
 <li>What role will AssangeDAO play in the future?</li>
</ul>
<p>These are just some of the questions that remain unanswered. One thing is certain: Julian Assange’s story is far from over. His release marks a new chapter, and the world will be watching closely to see how it unfolds.</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
 <p><strong>“If journalists want long-term credibility for their profession, they have to go in that direction. Have more respect for readers.” &nbsp;</strong></p> <cite><strong>Julian Assange</strong></cite>
</blockquote>

Julian Assange Walks Free A New Chapter for WikiLeaks Founder

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The Crypto Times

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