Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is set to make his first public statements since his release from prison as he addresses the Council of Europe on Tuesday. The 53-year-old Assange will provide evidence to the legal affairs and human rights committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.
The Parliamentary Assembly, comprising parliamentarians from 46 European countries, has scheduled a hearing to discuss Assange's detention and conviction, focusing on their impact on human rights. This discussion will precede a debate on the topic on Wednesday.
WikiLeaks has confirmed that Assange will attend the hearing in person, citing the exceptional nature of the invitation.
Assange was released in June after spending five years in a British prison following his guilty plea to charges related to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets. This marked the conclusion of a lengthy legal battle. Prior to his prison term, he sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he stayed for seven years, claiming political persecution.
The Australian internet publisher faced accusations of receiving and disseminating hundreds of thousands of war logs and diplomatic cables, revealing U.S. military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan. His actions were praised by advocates of press freedom for shedding light on military activities that might have otherwise remained hidden.
Among the leaked files was a video showing a 2007 Apache helicopter attack by American forces in Baghdad, resulting in the deaths of 11 individuals, including two Reuters journalists.
However, critics argue that Assange's actions endangered American national security and the lives of innocent individuals, including those who provided information to U.S. forces in conflict zones, going beyond the boundaries of traditional journalism.
The prolonged legal proceedings concluded with Assange pleading guilty to an Espionage Act charge in a U.S. district court on the Northern Mariana Islands. He was sentenced to the five years he had already served in the U.K. while fighting extradition to the United States.
Assange returned to Australia as a free man in late June, with his wife, Stella, emphasizing the need for him to recover before speaking publicly.
His upcoming appearance follows the release of a report by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly on Assange's five-year detention in a high-security U.K. prison. The assembly's human rights committee classified Assange as a political prisoner and expressed deep concern over his treatment in a draft resolution.
