"Failure of the system"
Assange spoke at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made his first public appearance since his release on Tuesday. He called for better protection for journalists. He is not free because the system worked (see video above).
"I am free today because I pleaded guilty after years of imprisonment - guilty of journalism," Assange told the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The rights of journalists in Europe are at risk. As reported, the founder of the research and investigative platform WikiLeaks was released in June following a deal with the US judiciary.
He had previously spent 14 years under house arrest, in Ecuadorian embassy asylum in London and in a British high-security prison. Under an agreement with the US justice system, he pleaded guilty to passing on confidential information and was sentenced to prison. As the 53-year-old had already served his sentence, he was released and returned to his country of origin, Australia.
"Creepy sound of electric cars"
After years in prison, he still has a lot to get used to, Assange said in Strasbourg. For example, the "scary" sound of electric cars or dealing with his mother-in-law, he joked. He thanked his supporters. "We should all commit to doing our part to ensure that the light of freedom never goes out, that the search for truth continues and that the voices of the many are not silenced by the interests of the few."
We should all pledge to do our part to ensure that the light of freedom is never extinguished.
Julian Assange
Critics see him as a traitor
The US judiciary had accused the Australian of publishing around 700,000 confidential documents on military and diplomatic activities from 2010 onwards. These included explosive information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the killing of civilians and the mistreatment of prisoners by US forces.
For his supporters, Assange is a hero who fights for freedom of expression. His critics see him as a traitor who has endangered the security of the USA and intelligence sources.
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