Julian Assange to Break Silence, Address Council of Europe on Detention and “Chilling Effect” on Human Rights

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will make his first public statements since his release from prison when he addresses the Council of Europe on Tuesday, The Associated Press reports.

The 53-year-old Australian internet publisher is expected to give evidence to the legal affairs and human rights committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

The hearing, scheduled ahead of a debate on Wednesday, will focus on Assange’s detention and conviction, particularly their “chilling effect on human rights,” according to the Parliamentary Assembly, which includes parliamentarians from 46 European countries.

Assange’s appearance comes after five years in a British prison, culminating in a plea deal with the US Justice Department that concluded a lengthy legal saga. He had previously spent seven years in self-imposed exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, seeking asylum on the grounds of political persecution.

Assange was accused of receiving and publishing hundreds of thousands of war logs and diplomatic cables, exposing details of US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. His actions were celebrated by press freedom advocates, who lauded his role in bringing to light military misconduct that might otherwise have been hidden.

Among the documents released by WikiLeaks was a video depicting a 2007 Apache helicopter attack by American forces in Baghdad that resulted in the deaths of 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.

However, critics argued that Assange’s actions jeopardized American national security and endangered innocent lives, including those who provided information to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, exceeding the boundaries of traditional journalistic duties.

The case concluded with Assange entering a plea in a U.S. district court on the Northern Mariana Islands, pleading guilty to an Espionage Act charge for conspiring to obtain and disseminate classified information. He was sentenced to the five years he had already served in the UK fighting extradition to the United States.

Assange returned to Australia as a free man in late June, with his wife, Stella, saying that he needed time to recover before speaking publicly.

His appearance on Tuesday follows the publication of a report by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly detailing Assange’s detention in a high-security UK prison for five years. The assembly’s human rights committee classified Assange as a political prisoner and issued a draft resolution expressing deep concern over his harsh treatment.