Julian Assange: Freedom Championed by Bitcoin and the Fight Against Censorship
Summary:
Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, has established strong ties with the Bitcoin community. He recently gained freedom from a legal battle, in part due to anonymous Bitcoin donations covering his debts. WikiLeaks had started accepting Bitcoin donations in 2011 after facing a financial blockade from large financial institutions. Assange's experiences have drawn attention to issues such as freedom of speech and uncensorable currency, igniting discussions about them in various public forums. As per Assange's wife Stella, he plans to enjoy his freedom and stay away from public attention.
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks and a well-known advocate for freedom of speech, has managed to establish firm ties with the Bitcoin community. Both Assange and WikiLeaks have reaped the rewards of the unique attributes of Bitcoin (BTC) as a form of digital currency, and the dynamism of its community. The bond formed between Assange and WikiLeaks has considerably elevated the importance of Bitcoin, with this reciprocal relationship offering substantial benefits and fostering the continued growth and survival of both Bitcoin and WikiLeaks.
As of June 25, Assange has secured his freedom following a protracted 14-year legal saga that saw him behind bars for five years. This drawn-out legal ordeal reached its conclusion when Assange assented to a plea deal offered by United States officials, which saw him plead guilty in return for a promise to avoid his extradition to the US. His time already served in the United Kingdom was taken into account, culminating in his release.
Support for Assange and WikiLeaks runs deep in the Bitcoin community, according to Joshua Bate, founder of DeSciWorld and a key member of AssangeDAO, who spoke with Cointelegraph. He noted that because they both strive towards similar objectives, they pose an equal threat to authoritative regimes. In Bate's view, as WikiLeaks facilitates the free exchange of information, and Bitcoin fosters freer financial exchange, both entities are powerful tools against censorship. This is why Bitcoin enthusiasts have consistently backed Assange throughout his legal journey.
A recent manifestation of this unity is demonstrated by an anonymous donation of 8 BTC, virtually covering Assange's $520k debt accrued through his repatriation to Australia. With Assange being refused service by commercial airlines, a private plane became his only option. Within hours of Assange's wife Stella appealing for emergency funds to cover the plane’s cost, a BTC donation was made, allowing Assange to return to Australia without outstanding debts.
Since its inception in 2006, WikiLeaks started attracting serious attention in the world of journalism as of 2010, coinciding with its release of the contentious video known as "Collateral Murder". The footage featured a U.S. Army helicopter firing upon and killing 18 civilians, including two Reuters journalists from Iraq. The video brought WikiLeaks into the spotlight, leading to extensive diligence being conducted by British and U.S. authorities with the intention of terminating the non-profit organization.
Under the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of State declared the activities of WikiLeaks as illicit, resulting in a financial blockade against the organization involving numerous financial entities, including PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, the Bank of America, and Western Union, which significantly impacted donations, and put the existence of WikiLeaks under threat.
In 2010, a Bitcoin developer reached out to WikiLeaks with the proposal to use Bitcoin as a payment method for donations. However, Satoshi Nakamoto, the supposed mastermind behind Bitcoin, urged WikiLeaks not to accept Bitcoin donations, fearing that the notoriety of WikiLeaks would thrust Bitcoin into the proverbial limelight prematurely.
In 2014, Assange confessed to honoring Nakamoto's request to keep Bitcoin out of the equation until it had sufficiently matured. An article published by PC World, however, publicized that WikiLeaks was receiving Bitcoin, much to Nakamoto's dissatisfaction, who feared it might jeopardize the network. On December 11, 2010, Nakamoto expressed his concern: "WikiLeaks has kicked the hornet’s nest, and the swarm is headed towards us."
Stuck on the edge of financial ruin, Assange and WikiLeaks began accepting Bitcoin for donations in 2011, thus offering them a lifeline. Within one week, the organization received a staggering 171 BTC donations, successfully setting up a fundraising channel, which up until this day, continues to operate. This move flooded WikiLeaks with attention, impressively demonstrating the practical use of Bitcoin.
On October 14, 2017, Assange admitted that his organization had profited generously through a 50,000% return on their Bitcoin donations. During this time, the organization reportedly received 4,000 BTC. Subsequent to this, the Bitcoin bull market in 2017 saw the value of Bitcoin soar to $20,000.
But capturing the attention of global authorities did not come without substantial personal cost to Assange and his family; they had to make great sacrifices to uphold freedom of speech. Following the widespread exposure on WikiLeaks, Sweden issued an arrest warrant against Assange over allegations of sexual misconduct in August 2010. Assange sought refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and could not venture beyond the embassy premises for seven years. A change in Ecuador’s government resulted in Assange’s asylum being revoked, leading to his arrest.
Assange served a five-year sentence at the high-security Belmarsh Prison, often likened to Guantánamo Bay. His harsh sentence and grueling experiences are testament to the risk and punishment that's often meted out to whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, who dared to expose sensitive government secrets.
Harry Halpin, CEO of Nym and a member of AssangeDAO, shared his views with Cointelegraph. He believes society has yet to learn the extent of Assange's struggle, but insisted that Assange's efforts have cast light upon serious issues such as war crimes and truth suppression, topics that now feature regularly in parliamentary debates, daytime TV shows, and even YouTube podcasts.
Despite prevailing themes of suppression and struggle, Assange plans to keep a low profile, relishing in his regained freedom since his return to Australia. Stella, Assange's wife, urges journalists to put pressure on the U.S. government to gain access to information related to the criminal case against her husband, but due to the terms of Assange's plea deal, Assange himself is prohibited from making such requests. However, Stella stressed that this prohibition does not extend to the public, and calls upon citizens to exert pressure on U.S. authorities for transparency.
Published At
6/28/2024 5:00:00 PM
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