In his first public comments since being released, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange declared that his freedom came at a significant cost, stating, “I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism.”

AP quoted Assange saying, “I pled guilty to seeking information from a source. I pled guilty to obtaining information from a source. And I pled guilty to informing the public what that information was.”

Assange made these remarks during a session with the Council of Europe rights body in Strasbourg, emphasizing the precarious state of freedom of expression globally.

Assange’s Release and Plea Bargain

Julian Assange’s release followed a plea bargain after spending most of the last 14 years in confinement, either at the Ecuadorian embassy in London or Belmarsh Prison.

Julian Assange was previously sentenced for publishing confidential US government documents, including sensitive assessments of foreign leaders and accounts of extrajudicial killings.

“I eventually chose freedom over unrealisable justice… Justice for me is now precluded,” he remarked, highlighting the tough decision he faced amid the threat of a 175-year sentence.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) had issued a report expressing alarm at Assange’s treatment, saying it had a “chilling effect on human rights”.

He was released under a plea bargain in June, after serving a sentence for publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential US government documents.

Assange returned to Australia and since then had not publicly commented on his legal woes or his years behind bars.

Assange’s Reflections on Years of Incarceration

Reflecting on his experiences, Assange noted that he could have spent many more years fighting his case but felt the toll of his lengthy imprisonment.

“Perhaps, ultimately, if it had gotten to the Supreme Court of the United States and I was still alive… I might have won,” he said, expressing regret over the years lost to “house arrest, embassy siege, and maximum security prison.”

He added, “Ground has been lost” during his time behind bars, observing a rise in “more impunity, more secrecy and more retaliation for telling the truth.”

“Freedom of expression and all that flows from it is at a dark crossroads,” he told the hearing of the PACE legal committee.

“It strips away one’s sense of self, leaving only the raw essence of existence,” Assange said, his voice cracking while he offered an apology for his “faltering words” and an “unpolished presentation.”

“I’m not yet fully equipped to speak about what I have endured — the relentless struggle to stay alive, both physically and mentally,” Assange said.

Assange’s Campaign for Pardon and Future Endeavors

Assange is still actively seeking a US presidential pardon for his conviction under the Espionage Act.