Julian Assange's Long-Awaited Return to Australia: Swimming, Beds, and Real Food After 14-Year Legal Battle

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia
Assange intends to swim daily, sleep in a real bed, and taste real food post-release.
Assange published government secrets on WikiLeaks in 2006, leading to legal battle and extradition requests.
Assange spent time in South American embassy and later in British prison.
Assange's wife shared details about his plans for life as a free man.
Efforts to secure Assange's release ramped up due to change in Australian administration and lobbying from lawmakers.
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, returned to Australia after a 14-year legal battle.
Julian Assange's Long-Awaited Return to Australia: Swimming, Beds, and Real Food After 14-Year Legal Battle

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has returned to his homeland Australia after a 14-year legal battle that saw him spend time in a South American embassy and later languish in a British prison. Assange's fight for freedom of speech and transparency made him a polarizing figure, with some hailing him as a heroic crusader while others saw him as reckless and dangerous. On June 27, 2024, he appeared in a courtroom on the remote Pacific island of Saipan to plead guilty to violating the U.S. Espionage Act.

Assange's wife, Stella Assange, shared details about his plans for life as a free man. He intends to swim every day, sleep in a real bed, and taste real food. The couple has two children together but has not been reunited with them yet.

Efforts to secure Assange's release have been ramped up in recent years due to a change in administration in Australia and lobbying from Australian lawmakers. In May 2024, the UK High Court ruled that he had the right to appeal his extradition case, leading to negotiations between his legal team and US prosecutors.

Assange's legal battle began when he published government secrets on WikiLeaks in 2006. His disclosures included confidential diplomatic cables and information about civilian deaths in the American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. While some saw these actions as a courageous fight for transparency, others believed they put lives at risk.

Assange spent seven years holed up in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges. He was later arrested by British authorities in 2019 and extradited to the United States, where he faced 18 counts under the Espionage Act. However, a plea deal was reached on June 26, 2024, allowing him to serve his time and return to Australia.

The polarizing nature of Assange's legacy continues as some view him as a hero who exposed government corruption and others see him as a dangerous leaker. Regardless of one's opinion, the impact of his actions on transparency and freedom of speech is undeniable.


Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image

Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • It is unclear when Assange will be reunited with his children.
  • The article does not mention the outcome of Assange's court appearance on June 27, 2024.

Sources

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Julian Assange plans to swim ‘every day,’ sleep in real bed, his wife says

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Manveena Suri, Thursday, 27 June 2024 08:16
  • Unique Points
    • Assange plans to swim 'every day', sleep in a real bed, and taste real food as a free man.
    • Assange has not been reunited with his children yet.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

93%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Julian Assange’s Polarizing Legacy: From Hacker to Hunted Figure

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Mark Landler, Thursday, 27 June 2024 09:04
  • Unique Points
    • Assange spent 12 years fighting extradition from London to Sweden and then to the United States
    • Assange spent time holed up in a South American embassy and later languished in a British prison
    • Assange appeared in a courtroom on a remote Pacific island, where he pleaded guilty to violating the U.S. Espionage Act
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains some inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. It uses dichotomous depictions of Julian Assange, portraying him as either a hero or a reckless leaker without acknowledging the nuances of his actions.
    • . . . To others who feared the information he revealed could get people killed, he was destructive, even if there was never proof that lives were lost.
    • From the time he established WikiLeaks in 2006, Mr. Assange . . . was a polarizing figure, using the internet to solicit and publish government secrets. His disclosures... made him courageous to those who believed in his gospel of radical transparency.
    • Barry Pollack, a lawyer who represented Mr. Assange in his plea negotiations with the American authorities, on Wednesday in Canberra, Australia: “Julian Assange has for so many years sacrificed for the freedom of speech, freedom of the press,” said Barry Pollack, a lawyer who represented Mr. Assange in his plea negotiations with the American authorities, on Wednesday in Canberra, Australia. “He’s sacrificed his own freedom.”
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

96%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Stella Assange thanks Australian lawmakers for WikiLeaks founder's freedom

The Associated Press News Thursday, 27 June 2024 06:50
  • Unique Points
    • Assange was married to Stella Assange while he was incarcerated at London’s Belmarsh prison in 2022 and they have two children together.
    • Assange has not been reunited with his children yet.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority when it mentions the consensus that the prosecution of Julian Assange had taken too long and quotes lawyer Barry Pollack stating that President Biden or any subsequent president should issue a pardon to Julian Assange. However, no fallacies were found in the author's assertions.
    • The Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group began with a few federal lawmakers in 2019 and expanded to 47 – one of five of the total in Canberra – as a consensus grew that the prosecution over WikiLeaks’ release of almost half a million documents relating to the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010 had taken too long.
    • But while Australian lawmakers largely agreed that the time had come for Assange to be brought home, they disagreed on whether he deserved the same level of support as Australians recently released from arbitrary detention in China, Iran and Myanmar thanks to government intervention.
    • President (Joe) Biden or any subsequent president absolutely can and, in my mind, should issue a pardon to Julian Assange.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

95%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Assange arrives in Australia after pleading guilty to espionage on the way home

National Public Radio (NPR) Adam Hancock Wednesday, 26 June 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Assange refused to speak with reporters outside the court and went straight to a waiting car upon arrival in Australia.
    • Efforts to secure Assange’s release have been ramped up in recent years due to a change in administration in Australia and lobbying from Australian lawmakers.
  • Accuracy
    • Julian Assange arrived in Australia on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 after pleading guilty to violating U.S. espionage laws.
    • Assange was indicted on espionage and computer misuse charges by a federal grand jury in Virginia in 2019 for publishing secret reports about wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and diplomatic cables.
    • Assange had spent over a decade in prison before being sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge Ramona Manglona.
    • Assange was accused of conspiring with then-Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning to publish sensitive information without scrubbing it of sensitive information, putting informants and others at risk.
    • Manning served seven years in prison before President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority when it states 'Assange was indicted on espionage and computer misuse charges by a federal grand jury in Virginia in 2019, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest compromises of classified information in U.S. history.' This statement is not a logical fallacy on its own, but it becomes one when used to support the idea that Assange's actions were wrong or deserving of punishment. It also contains an inflammatory rhetorical device when it refers to Assange as a 'ratbag'.
    • Assange was indicted on espionage and computer misuse charges by a federal grand jury in Virginia in 2019, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest compromises of classified information in U.S. history.
    • Assange is a ratbag.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication