Julian Assange, the co-founder of Wikileaks, has recently reached a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, making him a free man. After spending five years in a U.K. jail cell and nearly seven years in Ecuador’s embassy in London, Assange has left the U.K. on a private jet, as announced by WikiLeaks. This departure follows extensive negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice, resulting in a deal that is yet to be finalized officially.
Assange had been arrested in the U.K. for breaching his bail conditions when seeking asylum in Ecuador’s London Embassy to avoid extradition on various charges. These charges were related to his involvement in publishing classified documents provided by Chelsea Manning, whose sentence was commuted by then-President Obama in 2013. Assange’s first destination after leaving the U.K. is Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. protectorate, where he is expected to receive a five-year sentence with credit for the time served in the U.K.
The history of Wikileaks and cryptocurrency has been closely connected. In a 2014 interview, Assange mentioned that bitcoin and Wikileaks played a vital role in supporting each other. Initially, Wikileaks refrained from accepting bitcoin to avoid government scrutiny, following a personal request from bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto. However, when facing a financial blockade, Wikileaks started accepting bitcoin donations, which not only provided essential funding but also boosted the legitimacy and utility of BTC.
In 2017, when rumors spread that Assange was deceased, he proved his existence by reading off the latest bitcoin block hash as a form of proof-of-life. Throughout his legal battles with the U.S. and U.K. governments, supporters of Assange and Wikileaks utilized a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) to raise funds for his defense. This initiative successfully raised over 16,500 ether, equivalent to over $55.2 million at current prices.
The intertwining of Wikileaks and cryptocurrency showcases the evolving landscape of technology and its impact on global issues. As Assange embarks on a new chapter following his plea deal, the legacy of Wikileaks and its relationship with crypto continues to shape the digital world.