Julian Assange's Fight for Freedom: A Journey Through U.S. Espionage Charges

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, informed European lawmakers that his guilty plea to U.S. espionage accusations was essential due to insufficient legal and political support for his freedom. Assange returned to Australia after a deal led to his release, concluding a 14-year legal battle. He addressed the European Committee on Legal Affairs, emphasizing his sacrifices for journalism.

Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblower media group WikiLeaks, addressed European lawmakers on Tuesday, explaining that his guilty plea to U.S. espionage accusations was a necessary step due to the lack of sufficient legal and political support to secure his freedom. "I eventually chose freedom over an unrealisable justice," Assange stated in his first public comments since his release from prison.

At 53, Assange returned to his homeland, Australia, in June, following a deal that saw him plead guilty to violating U.S. espionage law, bringing an end to a 14-year legal struggle in Britain. "I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism, seeking information from sources, obtaining information from a source, and informing the public," he elaborated.

Assange was speaking to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights at the Council of Europe, which is renowned for its human rights convention. A report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe deemed Assange a political prisoner and called for an investigation by Britain to determine if he had been subjected to inhumane treatment.

Clad in a black suit with a burgundy tie, Assange, sporting a slight white beard, read his initial remarks from sheets of paper, seated between his wife Stella and WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson. "I am yet not fully equipped to speak about what I have endured," he admitted, adding that he was still grappling with the effects of prolonged isolation.

Assange's wife, whom he married during his time in a London jail, mentioned last month that he would need time to recuperate his health and mental well-being, as well as to bond with their two children whom he had never seen outside of prison. The most controversial leaks by WikiLeaks included classified U.S. military documents and videos from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, shedding light on issues like prisoner abuse, human rights violations, and civilian casualties.

U.S. authorities, however, argued that the leaks were reckless, compromised national security, and endangered the lives of agents.

(With inputs from agencies.)