Assange Warns Freedom at Crossroads in First Speech Since Prison Release at Council of Europe

Oct 1, 2024, 07:45 AM

On October 1, 2024, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, made his first public appearance since being released from prison in June 2024, testifying before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. Addressing the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Assange discussed his years of incarceration and the threats facing freedom of expression. He stated, "I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism. I pleaded guilty to seeking information from a source and obtaining information from a source." Assange expressed regret over how much ground had been lost, saying, "I regret how much ground has been lost... how expressing the truth has been undermined, attacked, weakened, and diminished." He warned that "freedom of expression and all that flows from it is at a dark crossroads" and called on institutions like PACE to "wake up to the gravity of the situation." Assange also revealed that the CIA, under former Director Mike Pompeo, had targeted him and his family, stating that plans were made to "kidnap and assassinate me within the Ecuadorian embassy in London."