By 
30-06-2024
Innocenti Chiara
Europe Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
London (UNITED KINGDOM) – On June 24th, 2024, the Australian investigative journalist Julian Assange was freed from the UK high-security Belmarsh prison, bringing a difficult judicial, political, and diplomatic saga to an end. The seemingly positive conclusion of the case brings hope for a more adequate safeguard of the right to freedom of expression in journalism, but raises questions about whether the fight against government impunity can ever be won.
Julian Assange, born in 1971 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, was working as a computer programmer when, in 2006, he founded the non-profit media organisation and publisher of leaked documents WikiLeaks. His ordeal started in 2010, when practicing the so-called “scientific journalism”, he came to international attention for disclosing sensitive data over the United States Army’s operations in Iraq and Afghanistan wars. From that moment, Mr. Assange faced 17 charges under the 1917 US Espionage Act, spending seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and five years in Belmarsh prison while fighting for his extradition to the U.S.
Since its very beginning, Julian Assange’s case has gathered worldwide support from human rights advocates, as it has always exposed grave human rights violations at the hands of the US Government. On February 17th, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, denounced Assange’s legal battle, expressing concerns about his potential extradition to the U.S. According to the Special Rapporteur, there was a serious risk that the whistleblower Julian Assange, if under U.S. jurisdiction, would be subjected to torture, inhumane and degrading treatments, solitary confinement, and a 175-year imprisonment sentence, which would also prejudice the completion of a fair trial in any U.S. court. Moreover, a transfer to the U.S. was expected to irreparably damage his precarious mental health due to his serious depressive disorder, most probably leading him to commit suicide. The approval of such abhorrent punishment on the part of the international community would also have a chilling effect on investigative journalism and freedom of opinion and expression, setting a threatening precedent for other countries elsewhere in the world.
Today, June 24th, is an important day as, after several years, Julian Assange’s legal battle for freedom finally came to an end with a guilty plea arrangement with U.S. authorities. The deal demands Julian Assange to plead guilty to one out of the 18 felony charges under the Espionage Act leveled against him, while the U.S. commits to release him for good.
The landmark event, however, sparked a debate over the impunity of all serious human rights violations that Julian Assange denounced through the whistleblower website WikiLeaks. Alexis Deswaef, an international lawyer and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), stated on June 25th that “the guilty plea procedure is a double-edged sword,” allowing all States to avoid losing face while guaranteeing the release of the accused. While, on the one hand, many human rights activists might acclaim this long-awaited accomplishment, on the other hand, Assange’s case should provoke States to reconsider their obligations in a democracy.
Sources and further reading:
(2024, June 25). WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released from prison after US plea deal. Aljazeera. Retrieved on June 25,2024, from:
Ireland, O. (2024, June 27). Julian Assange Freed as it Happened: Wikileaks Founder Returns to Australia fro First Time in 14 years. Retrieved on June 27, 2024, from:
(2024, February 16). From extradition risks to broader implications: Human rights expert breaks down Assange case. United Nations News. Retrieved on June 25, 2024, from:
https://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/02/1146567.
(2024, June 25). World News in Brief: UN expert welcomes Assange release, more ICC warrants issued over Ukraine, Human Rights Council updates. United Nations. Retrieved on June 25, 2024, from:
(2024, May 18). Commissioner calls on UK government not to extradite Julian Assange. Council of Europe. Retrieved on June 24, 2024, from:
(2024, March 1). UK/US: Time to end prosecution of Julian Assange, UN expert says. United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Retrieved on June 24, 2024, from:
Head, H. (2024, June 26). Julian Assange pleads guilty in court on US Pacific island. The BBC News. Retrieved on June 27, 2024, from:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crgggyvp0j9o.
Landale, J., Turnbull, T. (2024, June 25). How the deal to free Julian Assange was agreed. The BBC News. Retrieved on June 27, 2024, from:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c511y42z1p7o.
(2024, June 25). Julian Assange is Free. The International federation for Human Rights. Retrieved on June 26, 2024, from:
https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/freedom-of-expression/julian-assange-is-free.
(2024, February 22). Free Julian Assange: Exposing human rights violations is not a crime. The International federation for Human Rights. Retrieved on June 26, 2024, from:
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