Julian Assange: WikiLeaks Founder, Conviction, Release

Few legal sagas have stretched across continents and decades quite like Julian Assange’s, from publishing classified U.S. military secrets in 2010 to spending five years in a London prison fighting extradition, before finally pleading guilty in 2024 and returning to Australia. This timeline traces the key events, charges, and fallout from one of the most consequential press-freedom cases of the 21st century.

Born: July 3, 1971 · Founded WikiLeaks: 2006 · Major leak year: 2010 · Years in UK prison: 2019–2024 · Conviction: Espionage Act (2024) · Release: June 2024

Seven key facts, one pattern: Assange’s identity and actions are well-documented, but the legal mechanics of his plea deal and its implications for press freedom remain the subject of debate.

What has happened with Julian Assange?

What did Julian Assange say about Donald Trump?

• Assange has publicly criticized Donald Trump, calling his presidency a threat to press freedom, though he also noted that Trump’s 2016 campaign benefited from WikiLeaks’ DNC email releases (Wikipedia (tertiary reference)).

What does Donald Trump think of Julian Assange?

• Trump has made contradictory statements: in 2019 he said Assange “did a lot of bad things,” but also that he “knows nothing about WikiLeaks” (Wikipedia (tertiary reference)).

The pattern: Assange’s relationship with Trump-era politics is tangled. While Trump’s campaign arguably benefited from WikiLeaks, his administration pursued Assange aggressively under the Espionage Act.

What exactly did Julian Assange do?

How did WikiLeaks obtain the leaked documents?

• WikiLeaks obtained classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents through a source within the military, later identified as Chelsea Manning (U.S. Department of Justice (prosecution record)).

What was Assange’s role in the Chelsea Manning leaks?

• Assange was accused of conspiring with Manning to crack a password to access classified files on a U.S. Department of Defense computer (U.S. Department of Justice (prosecution record)). The government alleged he encouraged Manning to provide more material.

The implication: Assange’s actions sit at the intersection of journalism and activism. His defenders see a publisher protected by the First Amendment; prosecutors see a collaborator who crossed a legal line.

What is Julian Assange being convicted of?

What were the original charges under the Espionage Act?

• In May 2019, a superseding indictment charged Assange with 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion (Wikipedia (tertiary reference)). The charges centered on obtaining and disclosing national defense information.

How did the plea deal change the charges?

• On 24 June 2024, Assange pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information (U.S. Department of Justice (prosecution record)). The other 17 counts were dropped.
• The venue was chosen because Assange refused to travel to the continental U.S., and Saipan is closer to Australia (U.S. Department of Justice (prosecution record)).
• He received a 62-month sentence credited as time served, reflecting the roughly five years he had already spent in Belmarsh prison (U.S. Department of Justice (prosecution record)).

The trade-off: Assange avoided a trial that could have resulted in a 175-year sentence, but he accepted a felony conviction that sets a legal precedent for prosecuting publishers under the Espionage Act.

What happened to WikiLeaks now?

Is WikiLeaks still active?

• WikiLeaks continued to publish documents after Assange’s imprisonment, but its output, funding, and credibility have diminished (Wikipedia (tertiary reference)). The organization remains operational as of 2026, though it no longer commands the global attention it did in 2010.

Who runs WikiLeaks after Assange?

• Editorial direction has been maintained by Kristinn Hrafnsson, an Icelandic journalist and longtime WikiLeaks associate (Wikipedia (tertiary reference)).

The implication: WikiLeaks without Assange as a figurehead has struggled to sustain its relevance. The organization’s infrastructure and whistleblower submission system still exist, but the geopolitical moment that made it a household name has passed.

Where is Julian Assange now in 2026?

Is Julian Assange free?

• Yes. Assange was released from Belmarsh prison in London after the plea arrangement was finalized on 24 June 2024 (The Conversation (academic analysis)). He immediately flew to Australia.

What is Julian Assange doing after his release?

• Assange has given limited public statements and has largely stayed out of the spotlight. He resides in Canberra with his family and is not subject to further detention (The Conversation (academic analysis)).

What this means: Assange traded his legal fight for freedom and family life. But the price was a felony conviction that bars him from future U.S. travel and leaves him vulnerable if he ever sets foot on American soil.

Julian Assange’s saga is over — but its echoes will be felt for decades. For advocates of press freedom, the case remains a cautionary tale: seek to hold power accountable, and you may face the full might of the state, even from a publisher’s perch far from Washington. For journalists in Australia and beyond, the choice is clear: continue to report on national security, or risk the same legal machinery that ensnared the man who exposed war crimes and diplomatic secrets.