> Julian Paul Assange ( ə-SAHNZH; né Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist. In 2006, he founded the non-profit news leak media organization [[Wikileaks]], which published leaked documents that had an impact on political news. [[Wikileaks]] came to wide international attention in 2010 when, in partnership with five newspapers, it published a series of documents and other media provided by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning Assange was raised in several towns in Australia until his family settled in Melbourne in his mid-teens. He became involved in the hacker community and was convicted for hacking in 1996. After [[Wikileaks]] was founded he remained a key player as it made its first significant publications, including Bank Julius Baer documents and a report about the Trafigura toxic waste dump in Ivory Coast. In March 2010, a member of [[Wikileaks]] identified as Assange talked with Manning by text chat while she submitted leaks. Assange presented the footage of the July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike at the Washington Press Club in April 2010. > > In November 2010, Sweden issued a European arrest warrant for Assange over allegations of sexual assault, which he denied and said that the warrant was a pretext for a further extradition to the United States over his role in the publication of secret U.S. military documents. After losing his battle against extradition to Sweden, he breached bail and took refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador in London in June 2012. He was granted asylum by Ecuador in August 2012 on the grounds of political persecution and fears he might be extradited to the United States. Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation in 2019, saying their evidence had "weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question". On 11 April 2019, Assange's asylum was withdrawn following a series of disputes with Ecuadorian authorities. The police were invited into the embassy and he was arrested. He was found guilty of breaching the Bail Act and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison. The U.S. government unsealed an indictment charging Assange with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion related to the leaks provided by Manning. In May 2019 and June 2020, the U.S. government unsealed new indictments against Assange, charging him with violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and alleging a history of conspiring with hackers. Response to the indictments has been mixed. Editors from newspapers have been less critical or supportive of the hacking charge, but joined with press freedom organizations to criticize the U.S. government's decision to charge Assange under the Espionage Act, characterizing it as an attack on freedom of the press. Assange has been confined in Belmarsh, a Category A prison located in Southeast London, since April 2019. On 4 January 2021, U.K. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled against the United States' request to extradite Assange, citing concerns over Assange's mental health and risk of suicide. On 6 January 2021, Assange was denied bail, pending an appeal by the United States. On 10 December 2021, the High Court in London ruled that Assange could be extradited to the United States to face the charges. On 17 June 2022, Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition. On 1 July 2022, it was announced that Assange had formally appealed against the extradition order. > > [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian%20Assange)