Julian Assange registered the Wikileaks domain in 2006 and began his activity the following year, publishing confidential information and secret documents concerning most of the world’s governments and guaranteeing his sources, dissidents from every corner of the planet, the maximum possible cyber protection .
In the ten million “leaks” disseminated by the site, information is brought to light from all over the globe, such as the Chinese repression of the Tibetan revolt, the opposition in Turkey, corruption in Arab countries, summary executions of the Kenyan police, but the heart of the news revolves around the United States of America .
The work of Wikileaks together with some of the most prestigious world newspapers such as the “New York Times”, the “Guardian”, “Der Spiegel”, “Le Monde” and “El Pais”, also makes it possible to publish many important documents that they have opened up previously unknown information avenues and Wikileaks has thus obtained a professional interpretation of the data and visibility.
On Wikileaks, 70,000 confidential documents on the operations of the international coalition in Afghanistan, 400,000 confidential papers on the invasion of Iraq, 250,000 telegraph messages from US diplomats come to light.(who became Chelsea Manning, sentenced to 35 years and released from prison on May 17, 2017, after Barack Obama, then President of the United States, had commuted her sentence), who had turned over 700,000 classified documents to Assange.
After becoming an international icon of freedom of expression , the Australian journalist and programmer enters the eye of the storm with legal problems and enemies as powerful as the governments of many nations. And when, in 2013 , he suggests to the NSA mole, Edward Snowden , to take refuge in Moscow, he also reinforces the suspicions against him, by the United States, of collaborating with Russia .
November 18, 2010the Swedish judiciary launches a European arrest warrant against the founder of Wikileaks, accused of rape by two Swedish women but Assange, then in London, replies that he had consented relations with the accusers and surrenders himself to the British police on 7 December. After being detained for nine days, he is granted house arrest and then probation.
In February 2011 , the extradition procedure in Sweden was submitted to a London court and Assange, fearing he could be extradited to the United States and sentenced to death, took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy on June 19, 2012 where he asked for the right to asylum. which is granted to him on August 16, 2012 until April 11, 2019, when Assange is arrested by the London police.
The then president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, had also unsuccessfully asked the British authorities for a safe conduct to be able to transfer Assange to Quito, but he was denied this.
Meanwhile, in 2016 , Wikileaks reveals how the leaders of the US Democratic Party, in the American primary, had plotted against the popular leftist candidate, Bernie Sanders, in favor of Hillary Clinton.
April 2, 2019the new president of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, accuses Assange of having violated the conditions for political asylum and so on 11 April the British police obtained permission to enter the embassy and take him away. The next day, Assange loses his Ecuadorian citizenship and the rape investigation, which had been closed, reopens. April 14, 2019 : Assange’s lawyer and partner, Stella Morris , ensures that her client is willing to cooperate with the Swedish authorities as long as the risk of extradition to the United States is eliminated.
1st May 2019the Australian journalist is sentenced to 50 weeks in prison by a London court for violating the conditions of probation but, once the sentence is served, he remains in the penitentiary, awaiting the verdict on the extradition .
On May 23, 2019, the United States added another 17 counts to that of computer piracy and, also accused of endangering the lives of US agents and soldiers, Assange faces 175 years in prison.
On May 31, 2019, the UN, through Nils Melzer, the special rapporteur on torture, affirms that the conditions of Assange, visited by Melzer, show “all the symptoms of psychological torture” and that his life is in danger “.
On November 19, 2019, the Swedish judiciary closes the investigation for sexual violence due to lack of evidence, but Assange must finish serving his sentence in Great Britain and in any case the most feared danger remains for him: extradition.
On February 24, 2020 , British justice begins to examine the request submitted by the United States, but the international mobilization in favor of Assange, the dozens of NGOs demanding his “immediate” release and the claims of his lawyers who believe that the request of extradition with political roots slow down its course.
On 7 September and 25 September 2020 , Judge Vanessa Baraitser, of the Old Bailey Criminal Court of London, agrees to give the defense more time to prepare his documents and on January 4, 2021 decides that Assange must remain in the United Kingdom because of suicide risk, but the week after denies him probation.
The US Justice Department appeals against the banned extradition and, on December 10, 2021 , the London High Court overturns Baraitser’s ruling and considers the guarantees that Washington provides on the treatment that Assange could receive and reopens the games sufficient.
Today, the Supreme Court grants Assange the right to appeal and therefore everything is still in progress
