An anonymous Bitcoin donor has contributed more than 8 BTC, valued at about $500,000, to support the family of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange. This donation comes as Assange’s family faces significant debt related to his travel and settlement expenses.
Recently released from a 14-year legal battle against extradition to the United States, Assange had to cover $520,000 for a chartered flight to Saipan and Australia, required by the Australian government.
Following his return to Australia, Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, launched a crowdfunding campaign to alleviate this financial burden. “Julian’s journey to freedom has come with a substantial cost: he owes USD 520,000, which he is obligated to repay to the Australian government for chartered Flight VJ199,” she detailed on X.
Bitcoin User Donates 8 BTC to Assange
The donation link posted by Stella Assange on June 25 quickly gained widespread attention, resulting in a remarkable response. Within just 10 hours, an anonymous Bitcoin donor contributed over 8 Bitcoin, nearly meeting the entire $520,000 goal.
Alongside this significant cryptocurrency donation, the campaign also received more than 300,000 British pounds (approximately $380,000) in fiat currency donations. The anonymous Bitcoin contribution stood out as the largest single donation to the campaign, surpassing the combined total of all other contributions in various currencies.
Notably, this isn’t the first instance of support for Assange from the cryptocurrency community. In 2023, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) known as AssangeDAO raised millions to bid on an NFT, aiding Assange in his legal battles for freedom. Additionally, digital artist Pak collaborated with Assange to release a new NFT collection titled ‘Censored’, further highlighting support from the crypto space.
Assange Released from Prison
On June 24, Julian Assange was released from the high-security Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom under a plea agreement with U.S. authorities.
Immediately after his release, Assange boarded a private plane at a London airport bound for Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, strategically avoiding touching down on American soil.
On June 26, Assange appeared in a district court in Saipan, where he admitted to violating the U.S. Espionage Act by leaking classified documents. Judge Ramona Manglona sentenced him to five years and two months in prison for these charges.
However, considering the time Assange had already spent in custody in the United Kingdom during his extradition battle, he walked out of the courtroom as a free man following the sentencing.
After his release, Julian Assange boarded a private flight and landed in Canberra, Australia, at 9:39 am UTC.
Throughout his legal battles, Assange maintained that the charges under the Espionage Act contradicted the protections of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, he acknowledged the possibility that soliciting and publishing classified information could be considered unlawful.
As part of his plea agreement, Assange committed to the destruction of all classified materials entrusted to WikiLeaks.
