As Julian Assange enjoys his first weekend of freedom in years, there appeared to be no question in the mind of his wife, Stella, about what the family’s priorities were.

The WikiLeaks co-founder would need time to recover, she told reporters after they were reunited in his native Australia, after a deal with US authorities that allowed him to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified defence documents.

What comes after that is one of the most intriguing questions for anyone familiar with how the site he founded in 2006 utterly changed the nature of whistleblowing. Will it return to its original mission?

James Harkin, the director of the London-based Centre for Investigative Journalism, (said) “In retrospect, it’s striking that everything WikiLeaks published was true – no small feat in the era of “disinformation” – but the tragedy is that much of its energy and ethos has now passed to blowhards and conspiracy theorists. Perhaps, in the light of our tepid new involvements in the Middle East and Ukraine, we need a new WikiLeaks.”

  • PugJesus@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    It’s insane the lies people will tell to defend a rapist. I don’t know why so many people are just fucking alright with rape if it’s ‘their guy’ doing it.

    The rape charges literally were not dropped by the person claiming it happened, but any lie is acceptable to defend a rapist, it would seem.

    • BeeDemocracy@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      5 months ago

      Fact: there was only ever one rape allegation and it was brought by the cops. The alleged victim refused to sign the statement to police and never signed a version which was edited later. All names were then leaked illegally to the tabloid press before JA was questioned. Read Prof Nils Melzer’s well-researched book.

    • anticolonialist@lemmy.cafe
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      10
      ·
      5 months ago

      Point out where he was charged with rape. Because if we’re basing an accusation of rape as actual rate then Biden is guilty of the exact same thing. Don’t assume that just because someone is critical of one white old senile piece of shit that they support the other white old senile piece of shit.

        • anticolonialist@lemmy.cafe
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          12
          arrow-down
          11
          ·
          edit-2
          5 months ago

          Can you not even read? Preliminary investigation is not the same thing as charged. If that’s how we are defining charged, then again Biden has been charged with rape

          • PugJesus@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            arrow-down
            12
            ·
            5 months ago

            I don’t play games with rape apologists, so you’re on your own from here on out.

            • anticolonialist@lemmy.cafe
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              8
              arrow-down
              8
              ·
              5 months ago

              Tara Reid has entered the chat.

              you’re on your own from here on out.

              After saying it two times I doubt you are serious.