Julian Assange has touched down in Australia more than 14 years after his legal troubles began. In another instalment of Crikey’s Paint by Numbers series, we bring you the key figures from the saga.
Years Assange would have faced in a US prison if convicted: 175
Days Assange spent in the UK’s Belmarsh prison: 1,901 days
Time Assange touched down in Australia: 7.37pm AEST, June 26
Value in Bitcoin an anonymous cryptocurrency investor donated to help fund Assange’s private jet home: $753,000
Year Assange founded WikiLeaks: 2006
Year WikiLeaks published the Iraq war footage and diplomatic cables that began Assange’s legal trouble: 2010
Year Assange became the subject of a Swedish arrest warrant over two allegations of sexual assault: 2010
Amount spent by filmmaker Michael Moore to put up a bond for Assange in late 2010: US$20,000
Year the UK Supreme Court ruled Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning over the rape allegations: 2012
Year Assange entered the Ecuadorean embassy in London and was granted asylum: 2012
Year the Swedish allegations were dropped because of difficulties finishing the investigation: 2017
Year Assange was detained by UK police and taken to Belmarsh for failing to surrender over a 2012 arrest warrant: 2019
Number of US charges faced by Assange during his time in Belmarsh: 18
Year a US request for extradition was denied by the UK, followed by a US move to overturn that decision: 2021
Year Assange’s case was brought before the UK High Court, followed by a plea deal with the US: 2024
Cost to UK taxpayers of Assange’s extradition case, as of 2021: Approximately $601,000
Value of a potential Assange book deal as estimated by celebrity publicist Max Markson: $10 million
