WikiLeaks

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  • SAIPAN, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS - JUNE 26: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves the United States Courthouse on June 26, 2024 in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, appeared before the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands in Saipan on Wednesday for a change of plea hearing. Following his guilty plea to a felony charge under the Espionage Act, Assange was sentenced to time served and subsequently released, paving the way for his return to Australia as a free man, after years of incarceration and intense lobbying for his release from across the political spectrum. Assange's lawyer said that the work of WikiLeaks will continue "and Mr Assange, I have no doubt, will be a continuing force for freedom of speech and transparency in government," media reports said. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

    Julian Assange pleads guilty to espionage but defends himself in court

    Julian Assange has formally pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act at a federal courthouse in Saipan. He told the court, however, that he believes the First Amendment and the Espionage Act are in contradiction of each other.

    Mariella Moon
    06.25.2024
  • A man climbing the steps to a plane.

    Julian Assange has been released from prison in a plea deal with the US

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from prison and has agreed to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act.

    Mariella Moon
    06.25.2024
  • Flag of the CIA on a computer binary codes falling from the top and fading away.

    Jury convicts ex-CIA engineer for leaking the agency's hacking toolset

    Joshua Schulte was arrested in relation to the 'Vault 7' leaks.

    Mariella Moon
    07.14.2022
  • A view shows a placard depicting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, near bottles of sparkling wine belonging to his supporters, on the day of his and Stella Moris' wedding at HMP Belmarsh prison, in London, Britain, March 23, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

    UK government approves Julian Assange's extradition to the US

    Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange's extradition to the US has been approved by UK home secretary Priti Patel

    Steve Dent
    06.17.2022
  • A supporter of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange protests outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Britain, October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

    UK court orders US extradition of Julian Assange on espionage charges

    His fate now lies in the hands of UK home secretary Priti Patel.

    Mariella Moon
    04.20.2022
  • WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, in central London, Britain February 5, 2016.       REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

    UK High Court rules that Julian Assange can be extradited to the US

    A UK appeals court has reversed a previous ruling that Wikileaks founder shouldn't be extradited to the US due to mental health concerns.

    Steve Dent
    12.10.2021
  • Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the Supreme Court in central London, on February 1, 2012, in the latest stage of his lengthy battle against extradition to Sweden to face rape allegations. The case will be considered by seven judges, rather than the usual five. The Supreme Court usually takes about 10 weeks to deliver a judgement but the parties have requested that this case be speeded up. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL / AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL        (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

    UK court rules Julian Assange shouldn't be extradited to the US

    The court has ruled that Julian Assange can be extradited, but it's likely that he will appeal the judgment.

    Daniel Cooper
    01.04.2021
  • WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange leaves the High Court in London November 2, 2011. Assange should be sent to Sweden from Britain to face questioning over alleged sex crimes, London's High Court ruled on Wednesday, rejecting his appeal against extradition. REUTERS/Paul Hackett  (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS)

    Hitting the Books: The media's role in history's most damaging data dump

    Disinformation efforts — the organized spread of lies — have proven especially effective in the modern media landscape.

  • LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 01: Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange leaves Southwark Crown Court in a security van after being sentenced on May 1, 2019 in London, England. Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange, 47, was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching his bail conditions when he took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault allegations, charges he denies. The UK will now decide whether to extradite him to US to face conspiracy charges after his whistle-blowing website Wikileaks published classified US documents. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

    DOJ accuses WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of recruiting hackers

    The Justice Department has filed updated charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that accuse him of recruiting hackers from Anonymous and beyond.

    Jon Fingas
    06.24.2020
  • Peter Nicholls / Reuters

    US charges Julian Assange with violating the Espionage Act

    Federal prosecutors have charged WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange with 17 more criminal counts, including accusations that he violated the Espionage Act. The US charged him last month with conspiracy to commit computer hacking following his arrest in London. The superseding indictment includes that previous charge.

    Kris Holt
    05.23.2019
  • Tolga Akmen/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    Ecuador says it faced 40 million cyberattacks after giving up Assange

    Ecuador's government may be facing virtual retaliation for its decision to allow Julian Assange's arrest. The country's deputy minister for information and communication technologies, Patricio Real, claimed that its institutions' websites had faced 40 million cyberattacks in the days since it effectively turned Assange in. The denial of service attacks flooded a number of major targets, including President Moreno's office, the internal revenue service and the central bank.

    Jon Fingas
    04.16.2019
  • Fame, infamy and incarceration: The Julian Assange story

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was removed yesterday from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after having his asylum revoked; he was then immediately arrested. Talk of extradition to the US began immediately. But if you haven't been paying extremely close attention over the last decade or so, you might not quite recall exactly how Assange ended up exiled in the embassy in the first place. It's a long and twisting tail, linked close to the rise and notoriety of WikiLeaks itself. And in many ways Assange's legal troubles are just getting started now that he's been arrested and the US has formally charged him with crimes. Catch up on the major steps that led Assange to seek refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy back in 2012 -- as well as what's happened that caused him to get thrown out and arrested. If there's one thing to be learned from Assange's history, it's that he will almost certainly not be going down without a long and protracted legal battle.

    Nathan Ingraham
    04.12.2019
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS

    US charges Assange with conspiracy to commit computer hacking

    The US Justice Department just officially charged Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, shortly after he was removed from the Ecuador embassy in London and arrested by local police. The charge is "conspiracy to commit computer intrusion" for agreeing to break a password to a classified US government computer. The Justice department also said it was in relation to "Assange's alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States." It's the same allegation that was made in the Chelsea Manning trial in 2013, in which the former US Army private was found guilty of theft and espionage in relation to the release of classified government documents. But now that Assange has had his asylum revoked by the Ecuadorian government and has been arrested, he can finally be extradited to the US to face these charges.

    Nathan Ingraham
    04.11.2019
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS

    Julian Assange is facing extradition to the US following arrest (update)

    Julian Assange has been arrested by London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and removed from the embassy, according to the MPS. Police entered the facility at the request of Ecuador's Ambassador, "following the Ecuadorian government's withdrawal of asylum," the MPS wrote on their website. Assange is now in custody at a "central London police station where he will remain, before being presented before Westminster Magistrates' Court as soon as is possible."

    Steve Dent
    04.11.2019
  • Jack Taylor via Getty Images

    WikiLeaks claims Ecuadorian Embassy is spying on Assange

    WikiLeaks says it has uncovered a comprehensive spying operation against its founder Julian Assange in the Ecuadorean embassy, where he has sought political refuge since 2012. According to the group, thousands of photos, videos and audio recordings have been taken of Assange, in what WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson calls a "total invasion of privacy."

    Rachel England
    04.10.2019
  • Peter Nicholls / Reuters

    Filing reveals sealed charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

    This evening, it became clear that the Justice Department either had already filed charges against Julian Assange under seal, or was preparing them. First the Wall Street Journal reported that preparations were under way, and then Seamus Hughes pointed out a court filing that mentions the WikiLeaks cofounder.

    Richard Lawler
    11.16.2018
  • Tolga Akmen/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    WikiLeaks replaces Julian Assange as editor-in-chief

    Julian Assange hasn't been able to do much as WikiLeaks editor-in-chief since the Ecuadorian embassy cut off his communications, and the outlet is now acknowledging that reality. Assange has appointed legal project manager and Icelandic journalist Kristinn Hrafnsson as WikiLeaks' new EIC due to the "extraordinary circumstances" that made him go "incommunicado." The site founder will remain as publisher, but he clearly won't be running day-to-day affairs.

    Jon Fingas
    09.27.2018
  • AFP

    Democratic National Committee serves Wikileaks a summons on Twitter

    You'll have to be creative to serve a secretive online organization like Wikileaks whose founder is hiding out in a foreign embassy. It definitely became an issue for the Democratic National Committee, which filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the group for the role it played in the 2016 cyberattack that targeted the political party. Now, the DNC has finally served the organization, and you can even see it for yourself... because it all went down on Twitter.

    Mariella Moon
    08.11.2018
  • AFP/Getty Images

    What legacy will WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leave behind?

    "Can you say to the American people, unequivocally, that you did not get this information about the DNC, John Podesta's emails, can you tell the American people 1,000 percent you did not get it from Russia or anybody associated with Russia?" Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Wikileaks founder, editor-in-chief and self-styled leader Julian Assange during a televised interview.

  • Tolga Akmen/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    WikiLeaks' Julian Assange could face 'imminent' embassy expulsion

    It's been evident for a while that the current Ecuadorian government isn't so fond of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange staying in its London embassy to avoid extradition, and now he may be close to getting the boot. Sources speaking to both the Times of London and CNN state that Assange is facing "imminent" expulsion. It's not certain when he might leave (if he does at all), but his team is reportedly prepping plans if he had to leave within "hours, days or weeks," according to the Times. The situation is "untenable," as CNN puts it -- and not just because of politics.

    Jon Fingas
    07.28.2018