Reflections on Julian Assange, the Espionage Act, and the Great Intelligence Hoax

• Published in: The Washington report on Middle East affairs Vol. 43; no. 5; pp. 39 - 41
• Main Author: Fein, Bruce
• Format: Journal Article Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington American Educational Trust 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Assange, Julian; Assange, Julian Paul; Classified information; Criminal sentences; Defense; Espionage; First Amendment-US; Freedom of speech; Government agencies; Hoaxes; Intelligence services; National security; Politics; Propaganda; World War I; Australia; New York; United States > US; Vietnam
• ISSN: 8755-4917

On June 26, 2024, WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange pled guilty to one count of violating the Espionage Act and was sentenced to time served, i.e., five years in detention defending against extradition to the US from Great Britain. Assange immediately returned to his home country Australia with no restrictions on free speech. The Espionage Act charge alleged that Assange conspired to disclose "information relating to the national defense" with "reason to believe could be used to the injury of the US or to the advantage of any foreign nation." Despite the vast volumes of military and diplomatic secrets published by WikiLeaks over many years, the US was unable to identify at sentencing or other platforms even one disclosure that was "used to the injury of the US or to the advantage of any foreign nation."