Julian Assange to Make First Post-Release Public Appearance

In his first public appearance since being freed from a UK prison, Assange will address the Council of Europe in October.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (C) hugs his wife Stella Assange (centre L) after arriving at Canberra Airport in Canberra, Australia, on June 26, 2024. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will make his first public appearance since being freed from a UK prison when he addresses the human rights organisation Council of Europe on Oct. 1. He will also give evidence to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg.

In a recent report, PACE determined that Assange had been held as a political prisoner and that he served a “lengthy detention in a high-security prison despite the political nature of the most severe charges against him.”

Based on that report, the committee passed a draft resolution expressing concern at Assange’s “harsh treatment” and warned of its “chilling effect.” It called on the United States, a Council of Europe observer state, to investigate the alleged war crimes and human rights violations disclosed by him and Wikileaks.

The committee said it considers that the “disproportionately severe charges” brought against him by U.S. authorities, as well as the heavy penalties foreseen under the Espionage Act for engaging in acts of journalism, fall within the requirements set out in a 2012 Assembly resolution on the definition of a political prisoner.

His detention far exceeded the reasonable length acceptable for extradition, they added.

President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Dominique Hasler (C), next to General Secretary of the European Council, Marija Pejcinovic Buric (R), opens the 133rd session of the Committee of Ministers at the European Council in Strasbourg, eastern France, on May 17, 2024. SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images

The committee alleged the failure of U.S. authorities to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of war crimes and human rights violations committed by U.S. state agents, combined with the harsh treatment of Assange and Chelsea Manning, “creates a perception that the United States government’s purpose in prosecuting Mr. Assange was to hide the wrongdoing of state agents rather than to protect national security.”

The Wikileaks founder returned to Australia after striking a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), pleading guilty in late June to one felony count under the Espionage Act for his role in publishing classified military documents.

“Julian will be in Strasbourg next week ... It will be an exceptional break from his recovery as @COE invited Julian to provide testimony for the JUR Committee’s report into his case and its wider implications,” his wife, Stella Assange, said in a post on X.

Assange had been held in Belmarsh high-security prison since 2019, following his removal from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had been staying inside, and thus out of the reach of British police, for the past seven years.

He was accused of assisting U.S. Army intelligence analyst Manning to steal military documents and diplomatic cables so that WikiLeaks could publish them online.

Prosecutors argued that making public the thousands of documents regarding the Afghanistan and Iraq wars endangered lives.