organization
WikiLeaks and Julian Assange (2010–2024)
Documented · occurred Handling What these labels mean →WikiLeaks published the 'Collateral Murder' video (April 2010; a 2007 Baghdad Apache strike that killed civilians including two Reuters journalists), the Afghan and Iraq war logs, and the State Department cables, all leaked by Chelsea Manning. Manning was sentenced to 35 years; Obama commuted it (2017). Assange spent 7 years in the Ecuadorian embassy and 5 in Belmarsh, then pleaded guilty on 26 June 2024 to a single Espionage Act conspiracy count, was sentenced to time served (62 months), and returned to Australia.
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suppression pattern | case: PROSECUTE THE PUBLISHER/SOURCE; war-crime footage withheld until leaked | 2010–2024 | Documented · occurred Handling | en.wikipedia.org |
| NSA mass surveillance (2013) | helped Snowden leave Hong Kong | 2013 | Documented · occurred |
Tied from
| From | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leak prosecutions compared | Manning 35 yrs (commuted); Assange plea | 2013–2024 | Documented · occurred | |
| NSA mass surveillance (2013) | Assange/WikiLeaks helped Snowden travel from Hong Kong | 2013 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| Stuxnet - Operation Olympic Games (2005-2012) | contrast: Cartwright pardoned vs. Manning/Assange prosecuted | 2017 | Concept |
Links
- Snopes: 'Can't we just drone this guy?'
- Washington Times: Clinton says 'I don't recall' (2016)
- Yahoo News: inside the CIA's secret war plans against WikiLeaks (2021)
- Wikipedia: Indictment and arrest of Julian Assange
- ABC (Australia): plea deal marks a new chapter
- Rolling Stone: Assange to plead guilty
- PACE (Council of Europe) report on Assange's detention, 2024
Notes
| Item | Record | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Collateral Murder, war logs and cables published from Manning's leak | Documented | publications |
| Manning: 35 years; commuted 2017 | Court-martial; commutation | Manning |
| Assange pleaded guilty to one Espionage Act conspiracy count; time served (June 2024) | Saipan federal court | plea |
| PACE voted to oppose his extradition (Jan 2020); a 2024 PACE report on his detention exists, but its 'political prisoner' wording was not confirmed | Council of Europe | PACE wording |
Threats against Assange
| Claim | Record | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Clinton (State, 2010): 'Can't we just drone this guy?' | True Pundit (2 Oct 2016), anonymous 'State Department sources' only; Clinton (4 Oct 2016): 'I don't recall… it would have been a joke, if it had been said' | drone quote |
| CIA under Pompeo (2017) discussed kidnapping or killing Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy after Vault 7 | Yahoo News (Sept 2021), 30+ former officials; no approval of the extreme options (White House lawyers objected); Pompeo attacked the sources | plans discussed (reported) |
How it was handled
| Method | What happened | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| WITHHELD | Reuters was denied the full footage at a 2007 briefing, filed a FOIA request the same day, and did not get it before the 2010 leak | withheld footage |
| PROSECUTE | First Espionage Act conviction of a publisher | publisher prosecuted |