The Puzzle of Julian Assange and His Prosecution

In 2010, Julian Assange burst into the international glare after his Wikileaks website published classified materials obtained from soldier Chelsea Manning – including footage of a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad that killed at least 11 civilians. Indicted in the United States on 17 espionage charges that carry a maximum prison sentence of 175 years, he has emerged as a divisive figure. Once he came out of nearly seven years of refuge in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London, Assange was arrested and has now been cleared for extradition by the British authorities; but he has appealed that decision. Some say he is being unfairly punished for exposing war crimes, while others contend he damaged diplomacy and harmed U.S. national security. Many believe that if he is convicted, journalists around the world who investigate and write about national security matters will themselves be in danger of prosecution. At this live, in-person event on the Georgetown campus, we will hear from Assange’s father and his brother, who