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    Here’s what it took to free Julian Assange — Lugano’s Plan B Forum

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    Julian Assange’s family described the 14-year, over $30 million battle to prevent him being sent to the US and to secure his freedom. Speaking in Lugano, Switzerland, Assange’s family acknowledged the role of Bitcoin enthusiasts and decentralized group AssangeDAO, which had 10,000 members, in funding their crusade. They also noted an anonymous Bitcoin donor who covered Assange’s $520,000 private plane travel cost to Australia. WikiLeaks relied on cryptocurrency after the US State Department asked financial institutions to stop providing services to them following their release of US government documents.

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    Julian Assange’s family recently spoke in Lugano, Switzerland, talking about the huge effort to stop Julian being sent to the US and to free him instead. This battle wasn’t cheap and quick — it took over $30 million and 14 years to finally settle. Julian’s wife, Stella, his dad, John, and his half-brother, Gabriel, were all there to share their experiences. Gabriel shed some light on the hefty cost of this years-long crusade:

    “I mean, we’re talking about more than $30 million here, just for campaign expenses and legal bills. Loads of people chipped in, from everyday folks to some seriously rich Bitcoin enthusiasts.”

    Gabriel also mentioned the important role played by AssangeDAO, a decentralized group, in the campaign to free the WikiLeaks founder. This group had 10,000 members all putting their money towards Julian’s freedom.

    Lots of dollars were needed to get Julian free, and this was no secret. One member of AssangeDAO, Silke Noa, had previously revealed that the group spent a hefty $37 million on legal stuff and awareness campaigns to finally get Julian released.

    Bitcoin owners showed their support for Julian big time in June 2024. After being released, Julian was banned from commercial flights back to Australia and had to charter a private plane, which cost $520,000. This would have thrown Julian into some serious debt, but luckily an anonymous Bitcoin owner donated more than eight Bitcoin, which covered the entire travel cost.

    Cryptocurrencies became crucial for WikiLeaks after Obama, in 2010, called WikiLeaks’ work (which involved publishing stuff directly from the US government) illegal. After Obama made his announcement, the US State Department told payment processing companies and financial institutions to stop giving services to WikiLeaks, trying to get it to close down.

    Source: Cointelegraph

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