Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, is at the heart of one of the most resounding scandals of the 21st century. Between radical transparency, diplomatic issues and debates on the rights of whistleblowers, this complex affair deserves to be deciphered. Here are five essential elements to understand the Julian Assange affair.
What is WikiLeaks?
WikiLeaks, founded in 2006 by Julian Assange, presents itself as a platform allowing whistleblowers to publish sensitive documents while guaranteeing their anonymity. Inspired by the collaborative model of Wikipedia, this platform uses advanced encryption technologies to protect the identity of the sources. WikiLeaks stands out for its mission: expose state secrets and abuse of power in broad daylight. The objective of this radical transparency is to hold governments and big businesses accountablebut it also raises ethical and security questions. The documents published by WikiLeaks are often raw, without filters, which poses potential risks for individuals mentioned in these leaks. WikiLeaks quickly gained international attention thanks to his explosive revelations. In 2010, the platform published a series of military and diplomatic documents Americans who shed light on controversial U.S. actions around the world. That year, WikiLeaks revealed more than 700,000 documentsincluding diplomatic cables and confidential military reports. Among the revelations the most shocking, a video showing an American helicopter Apache opening fire on civilians in Iraq in 2007 particularly left its mark, sparking a global outcry.
What is the WikiLeaks affair?
This massive leak has highlighted unspeakable actions American authorities, but it also raised ethical questions about raw broadcasting of sensitive information without protection for the sources. WikiLeaks’ major partner publications, such as “The New York Times”, “The Guardian”, “Der Spiegel”, “Le Monde”, and “El Pais”as well as iconic figures like Edward Snowden, have separated themselves methods of WikiLeaks, criticizing lack of filtering information that could put lives in danger. Critics point out that while transparency is crucial, it must be balanced with the responsibility to protect the individuals involved in these documents.
What does the United States accuse Assange of?
Assange’s disclosure of 700,000 classified US military documents, endanger life of its officials and collaborators. This gifted hacker, who revolutionized global journalism with a viral platform, allegedly helped military analyst Bradley Manning, who became Chelsea Manning after a gender transition in prison, to hack Pentagon computers in 2010. These documents, subsequently published on WikiLeaks, revealed questionable and brutal practices of the American army on the fields of operations. The information disclosed included details on military tacticsdiplomatic relations and covert operations, causing a furious reaction from the United States. American authorities believe that the publication of these documents compromised the security of their military and diplomatic operations, exposing sensitive sources and methods. For them, Assange is not a simple journalist or an activist, but an enemy of the state having deliberately endangered the lives of many individuals. This vision contrasts sharply with that of his supporters, who see him as a fearless defender of the truth and a symbol of the fight against government opacity.
Why is the United Kingdom refusing his extradition?
In December 2010, Assange was arrested in London due to a European arrest warrant issued by Sweden, where he was accused of rape by two women. Fearing extradition to the United States after his visit to Sweden, he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012, where he lived for seven years. In April 2019, after a change of president in Ecuador, his right to asylum was revokedand he was arrested by British police for violating the conditions of his supervised release. The United States’ extradition request was rejected by the British courts on January 4, 2021. The judges found that Assange’s state of health, already seriously deteriorated by years of confinement, could lead it to commit suicide if he was imprisoned in the United States. The move reflects the humanitarian concerns surrounding Assange’s case, adding an additional layer of complexity to an already highly politicized case. The situation in Sweden was dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence, but the initial accusations had already done a lot of damage to Assange’s reputation.
What future for Julian Assange?
Julien Assange has just been released Tuesday June 25, after reaching an agreement with the American justice system, after 5 years of detention in the United Kingdom. Many defenders of press freedom and human rights around the world see in him a symbol of the fight against censorship and abuse of state power. However, its critics emphasize the dangers of disclosing unfiltered information and highlight risks to national security and source protection.
