Original subtitles

- This, is about the truth.

- [Narrator] Some see a terrorist.

- [Assange] The real story of this material,

is it that's it's war, it's one damn thing after another.

- [Narrator] Some see a journalist.

The media would have you see an eccentric,

weird and mysterious criminal.

- In relation to my Wikileaks work, it goes on.

- We have to recognize that we can no longer allow

Assange and his colleagues.

The latitude to use free speech values against us.

- [Narrator] This is an unparalleled look of the journey,

of how one man and his mission to empower the world

with information became the target

of the most powerful government in the world.

- 10 days arbitrary detention in Wandsworth prison

in solitary, 18 months house arrest in Norwich,

Julian had to seek asylum.

And was given asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy

and that was seven and a half years.

So 10 years of arbitrary detention.

- What is happening here today.

- [Crowd] What is happening here today

- Is a culmination of dreams.

- [Crowd] Is a culmination of dreams.

- [Narrator] From coder to convict,

this is the story of Julia Assange.

One man in his fight for a fair trial,

one man and his quest for truth.

[dramatic music]

In his teenage years living in Australia,

Julian Assange found himself in the center

of a burgeoning technology driven world.

With an affinity to computers,

Assange began experimenting with coding and hacking.

- What hacking is, is having the attitude

of playful cleverness.

Doesn't matter just what you're doing,

you could be writing computer programs, writing music,

sneaking around on the roof of a building

where the authority say people aren't supposed to go

or sneaking around abandoned subway tunnels.

- Someone who is so interested in things,

that they don't need to be pushed to investigate

them rather thoroughly.

- Well, hacker ethic is a series of principles,

that I think the hackers that I have spoken to.

No matter what generation seem to implicitly share,

it's based around I guess a premise that,

Your best off when you get your hands on things,

to change them.

It's a very active philosophy

and is also based around a free flow of information.

Information if not free should be as

freely disseminated as possible.

In the spirit of sharing, in the spirit of helping

everyone else improve systems.

- What is hacking all about?

It's all about whatever it's to do

It's everything you ever wanted a computer to be,

It's making love, it's being aggressive,

it's stalking into the unknown

and seizing the unknown and kicking it.

And finding out that is exactly what you did intend.

- It was only really after I started talking to hackers

from various time periods that I realized they share

this philosophy to some degree in common.

- [Narrator] The year is 1989.

NASA are forced to delay a launch

after becoming the victim of a hack.

Wank worms against nuclear killers infiltrated

the NASA servers with the first of its kind.

A political message.

[orchestral music]

You talk of times of peace for all and then prepare for war.

Investigations link the hack to a group

of anonymous Melbourne hackers.

Though no one has been found guilty.

Julian was believed to be involved.

[soft music]

In 1993, Julian gave technical advice on two occasions

to an Australian police child exploitation unit.

Which in turn assisted them with putting child abusers

and pornographers behind bars.

[soft music]

Fast forward to 2006.

After becoming embroiled in the mucky world of hacking.

Assange saw the world with a veil pulled back.

Eye witness to the contradiction between public statements

and the truth that lay on the servers in the back room,

Assange looked to change the status quo.

Julian Assange founded a news organization in 2006.

Aimed to publishing information

that is in the public's interest.

Built on the basis of not knowing who the source is.

A mission of speaking truth to power.

WikiLeaks became notorious in

its first few years of publishing.

Whistleblowers soon started anonymously sending Wikileaks

sensitive and at times, classified information

from organizations all over the globe.

A blind eye could not be turned to the abuses of power

that were being exposed year after year,

by the newly founded news publishing organization.

Revealing Guantanamo Bay procedures.

Scientology documents.

- With your help we're gonna win,

- [Narrator] Exposing Sarah Palin's violation

of public record laws at the 2008 US election.

Extrajudicial killings in Kenya.

The membership list of the hateful right wing

British National Party,

disclosing Barclays Bank tax avoidance,

the internet censorship lists, revealed news of a serious

nuclear accident in Iran caused by a cyber attack,

hinting that a Stuxnet computer worm carried out the attack,

a jointly built cyber weapon by the United States

and Israel governments.

And the harmful dumping of toxic substances in Africa,

called the Minton report.

Culminating in a debate still present in the WikiLeaks saga.

Lawyers for the commodities giants Trafigura obtained

a secret super injunction against the guardian

for further publishing the contents of the Minton report.

Bringing into question the privileges guaranteeing

free speech established under the 1689 bill of rights,

statutes that Wikileaks also upholds.

March 15th, 2010.

[dramatic music]

Wikileaks publishes a 32 page report,

on themselves conducted in secret

by the United States Department of Defense.

For exposing human rights violations in Guantanamo Bay,

the US equipment expenditure

and the battle over the Iraqi town of Fallujah.

Discussed in the document are ways in which

the United States can deter any current or former insiders

or whistleblowers, their security interests and the methods

for marginalizing the Wikileaks organization.

Julian was in view, but what transpired next

would put a target on his back.

April 5th 2010.

Julian Assange caught the eye of most Americans

when Wikileaks published the collateral murder video.

Sending tremors that could be felt on Capitol Hill.

Leaked by an anonymous member of military personnel,

the video shows the purported murder of a dozen Iraqi men,

amongst them two journalists,

part of the Reuters news agency.

On the 12th of July 2007, having been unable to identify

small arms fire in a Baghdad suburb, the United states

deployed two Apache helicopters to investigate.

Through the cross hairs, we see the lead up to the incident.

The supposed misidentification of cameras as firearms,

the subsequent firing on unarmed civilians,

including the targeting of a truck coming

to the aid of the wounded men.

Two young girls were also in the truck.

[dramatic music]

- Some of the morning papers.

So this is the Guardian from this morning,

putting pages about this topic,

also concurrently in Der Spiegel 17 pages,

the New York Times, I'm not sure how many International

Herald Tribune and I believe the telegraph also has it.

- July 25th 2010.

Nickname to the Afghan war diary,

WikiLeaks releases over 92,000 documents to The Guardian,

The New York Times and German publication Der Spiegel.

Disclosing friendly fire and civilian casualty incidents

in the war in Afghanistan between 2004 and 2009.

The scale of which can be compared

to the 1970s Pentagon papers.

- There's no doubt in my mind, no doubt in my mind.

We'll bring Al Queda to justice,

peace or no peace in the Middle East.

- We're familiar with groups whose abuse we expose,

attempting to criticize the messenger to distract

from the power of the message.

We have tried hard to make sure that this material does not

put innocents at harm.

- [Narrator] Four days later, a 1.4 gigabyte insurance file

was added to the page.

Fearing that Assange or Wikileaks were in danger,

the decryption for the insurance file would be released

if either got in harm's way.

- I'm often asked this question,

what is the most single damning revelation?

What is the thing that is easily capturable,

the single event, the single personality,

the single mass killing.

That is not the real story of this material.

The real story of this material is that it's war.

It's one damn thing after another.

It's clear that it will shape an understanding of what

the past six years of war has been like.

And that the cause of the war needs to change

the manner in which it needs to change is not yet clear.

- These documents are going to have to be poured

through, analyzed and making sure that they then match up

with the media reports and what ISAF has been telling us

about civilian casualties.

- It is the most comprehensive history of a war

to have ever been published during the course of a war.

- [Narrator] Intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning,

formally Bradley Manning was arrested on May 27th 2010.

By March of 2011, Manning was charged with 22 violations.

The most serious of which was aiding the enemy,

punishable by a death sentence.

Concerns by the Obama administration fueled political debate

on the basis of stolen government property

and the unredacted disclosure of Afghans

acting as informers potentially putting lives at risk.

WikiLeaks held back on releasing all of the files

in order to review

and redact the sources of the information.

WikiLeaks in an attempt to morph the method

requested help from the Pentagon and human rights groups

to aid in redacting the names that receive no assistance.

- Right over here.

- Why are we here?

- [Narrator] The monumental leak was surpassed by

what the Pentagon described as the largest leak

of classified documents in US military history,

dubbed the Iraq war logs.

The release made in October 2010, by Assange's Wikileaks

disclosed just under 400,000.

- [Assange] Because we don't have much time,

I won't speak for long.

But,

this disclosure,

is about the truth.

Philip Knightley, the great investigative reporter

an Australian, who for the past 30 or 40 years,

has made the UK his home said,

that the first casualty of war is the truth.

But the attack on the truth by war

begins long before war starts

and continues long after a war ends.

In our release of these 400,000 documents,

about the Iraq war,

the intimate detail of that war from the US perspective.

Iraq, as we can see,

was a bloodbath on every corner

of that country.

They stated aims for going into that war,

of improving the human rights situation,

improving the rule of law.

Did not eventuate.

[dramatic music]

- In any human disaster, finding out who died

and how they died is the overriding public concern.

For seven years on the public does not have a full account

of the terrible human cost

of this ongoing Iraq war to the Iraqi people.

What we have instead, is anincomplete patchwork of stories,

pictures and data gathered by different organizations

for different purposes.

Often published one day and forgotten the next.

- [Narrator] Other news publishers ran with the story

focusing on the claims that the United States government

had ignored torture reports and the unreported concealment

of 15,000 civilian deaths.

Wikileaks was fast becoming one

of the most dangerous websites.

And the man behind it was now the enemy

of the most powerful authority in the world.

The United States government.

Unearthed during the Manning trial in December 2011,

Manning had used IRC and Java encrypted internet

conferencing services to contact an anonymous member

of Wikileaks believed to be Assange.

Julian dismissed the allegations as absolute nonsense.

The United States began their investigation of Assange

and Wikileaks looking to prosecute under

the Espionage Act of 1917,

for seeking out classified information.

On the contrary, no evidence was found that Assange

offered Manning any direction in her leaks,

raising serious questions around press freedom

and first amendment rights.

During a visit to Sweden, Assange became the subject

of allegations that would hang over him for years to come.

Two women claimed to have been

sexually assaulted by Assange.

Questioning ensued only for the case to be suddenly closed.

Julian was allowed to leave the country.

One week later, the investigation is reinstated.

Looking to resolve the issue, Assange asks to be interviewed

before he leaves the country.

But was told he may leave without one.

Some months on after crossing the Swedish border,

authorities issue an Interpol arrest warrant,

ordering the detention of the man who'd exposed

wrongdoings around the globe.

The warrant was lowered to suspicion of rape

of rape of a lesser degree.

Assange's legal team argued that there was no such thing as

a minor rape, and that the allegations made do not need

the European legal definition of rape.

Further efforts by Assange to be questioned in Britain

where he had been residing for two months were denied.

Assange's next battle to fight an extradition hearing

to be sent back to Sweden, fearing a further extradition

to the United States where he faces possible

life imprisonment or the death penalty.

[sirens blaring]

December 7th 2010.

Assange hands himself in to British police.

- They've verified his identity.

They're satisfied that he is the real Julian Assange,

and we're now ready to go into the court.

Many people believe Mr. Assange

to be innocent, myself included.

And many people believe that

this prosecution is politically motivated.

[police officers shouting]

- [Plato] I think he's got a chance, yes.

I fancy him, I do.

I don't think it's open and shut.

At this point I'm not convinced

that he has committed a crime

in the United States.

[crowd shouting]

- Today, we learned for the very first time information

about the allegations that are being made

from Sweden about him.

There are no charges, still no charges.

He's only wanted for questioning.

And we still haven't seen the allegations.

- [Mark] And people have understood for the very first time

that there is something wrong here.

It's not in the state of Denmark,

it's in the state of Sweden,

and I think people are starting to stand up and be counted.

We saw five very brave and honorable people stand up today

to be sure it is for him,

four of them didn't know who he was,

but were prepared to do so.

Because they believed in his innocence,

believed this to be wrong and I think they are but the tip

of an iceberg and I do believe this will go viral.

- Any journalist, who feels anything about what we do,

should be supporting him 100%.

I think the charges against him are outrageous.

- [Reporter] Why?

- [Reporter] What's the next step.

- Because if you look at the case in Sweden,

you know, as I've said the chief prosecutor in Sweden

throughout this case, in effect declared it ridiculous.

And it was brought back only after the intervention

of a senior right wing politician.

- [Reporter] Who was that sir?

- That will do.

- Finally, after two hours, we've heard

that the Swedes won't abide by the umpires decision.

They clearly will not spare any expense,

but to keep Mr. Assange in jail.

This is really turning into a show trial.

[dramatic music]

- [Crowd] Free Julian now.

Free Julian now.

[dramatic music]

Free Julian now.

- The fact that Julian Assange was refused bail,

was a gross injustice and that has been corrected.

- [John] Today in a limited way.

- I think the attempt is designed to discredit

Assange, his credibility, his morals,

in order to discredit Wikileaks as an organization.

But every organization is larger

than a single person within it.

And WikiLeaks will survive whatever,

so it was a foolish decision to try and discredit him.

- During my time in solitary confinement,

in the bottom of a Victorian prison.

I had time to reflect on the conditions,

of those people around the world,

also in solitary confinement,

also on remand,

in conditions that are more difficult

than those faced by me.

I hope to continue

my work and continue,

to protest my innocence in this matter,

and to reveal as we get it,

which we have not yet the evidence

from these allegations, thank you.

[dramatic music]

- I don't have too many fears about being extradited

to Sweden there are much bigger concerns

about being extradited to the United States.

[dramatic music]

Those who have been following the case will have heard

time and time again repeated statements,

that no evidence needs to be presented,

In this case by the prosecution.

To extradite me no evidence is needed

under European arrest warrant.

In relation to my bail application,

they said they did not need to present any evidence.

In Sweden, every single court hearing has been in secret,

and we still have not been provided with the evidence.

Either provided with not a single page

of information in English whatsoever.

- [Assange] Ambassadors were tasked by Hillary Clinton

to engage in espionage behavior.

And that is not the first paper

we have released on that subject,

more serious ones, including tasking

- [Assange] ambassadors to steal the DNA

of leaders of human rights organizations in South America.

Including stealing the DNA

of members of the UN Security Council

and even Ban-Ki Moon.

So that's a,

a serious change.

I don't believe that has always been the case.

- Cause embassies have always been a host for espionage.

But diplomats have not always been

tasked to conduct espionage.

That seems to be a change and that seems to be

representative of a gradual shift

to a lack of rule of law.

- [Assange] In US institutions that needs to be exposed

and that we have been exposing.

- And that other journalists

have been helping us to expose,

and which is something that I believe

that the US public does not support,

the Australian public does not support,

the British public does not support,

the Swedish public does not support.

We don't engage in actual decisions.

We have written policy for our public decisions

and that keeps us accountable

and we think that is the way forward in journalism.

That all news organizations should follow.

- I think that has to do Julian, because we are a bit late.

- Okay.

- [Reporter] One final question.

- I'm under house arrest sir, I gotta go.

- [Narrator] With some high profile celebrities

and friends backing him.

Julian was able to pay the exorbitant

bail price of 240,000 pounds.

And was even offered sanctuary by former Army officer

and war correspondent Vaughn Smith.

- Well, I mean, there's a saying about battlefield friendship.

So it's the depth of the trench rather than the length

of time you've been living in it.

And, if you've, you know, if you experience things

with people you get to know them well,

and you don't necessarily have

to have known them a long time.

[reporters asking question]

- I will speak with you for hours.

- [Assange] Very nice to be free for Christmas

and to smell the fresh air of Norfolk.

Solitary confinement in the bottom of Victorian prison is

a significant experience in a way.

It's an experience I'm glad that I've had.

I've never been in prison, but I think it is important

for every journalist actually writing about serious matters

to be in a prison,

to understand what it is like for people in prison,

around the world.

Clearing my name is not the highest task I have,

the highest task I have, is to continue on with my work.

We have also heard today from one of my US lawyers,

yet to be confirmed but a serious matter

that they may be a US indictment

for espionage for me

coming from a secret US grand jury investigation.

- [Narrator] The backdrop for the world's

most wanted house guest.

The picturesque Norfolk Manor,

that is

Ellingham Hall.

- Very nice to be amongst good friends,

you know fresh snow in the English countryside,

to have my first Martini in a long time.

So very good, of course we have to understand

that I am practically under house arrest.

But of course personally it's a big

improvement compared to being

in the basement in solitary confinement.

Where has been many calls by senior political

figures in the United States, including the elected ones

in the Senate for my execution, the kidnapping of my staff,

the execution of the young soldier Bradley Manning.

This has been a very successful

smear campaign so far.

But I think it's days are numbered

and people are starting to wonder

is what is claimed really true

and if it is true, where's the evidence?

- [Assange] For the past five and a half months,

we have been in a condition

where a black box has been applied to my life

and on the outside of that black box,

has been written the word rape.

That box is now,

thanks to an open court process being opened.

And I hope over the next day,

we will see that, that box

is in fact empty.

And has nothing to do with the words,

that are on the outside of it.

[thunder-clap]

- I challenge you Marianne Ny.

Marianne Ny, come to London, come on Friday,

subject yourself to the cross examination

by Jeffrey Robertson QC.

- In relation to my Wikileaks work,

which of course is a separate topic.

It goes on it continues every day we are publishing

serious content around the world

and especially about the Middle East.

And that gives me great heart,

as does the ongoing support of the world

for my staff and our mission.

- [Narrator] February 2011, marks the first loss

in Assange's quest to quash the extradition.

- [Assange] What we saw today at Belmarsh,

was a rubber stamping process.

That comes as no surprise,

but is none the less wrong.

- And that is releasing footage of a helicopter

gunshot massacre of two Reuters journalists.

- A rubber stamping process that is a result

of a European arrest warrant system run amok.

There was no consideration during this entire process

as to the merits of the allegations

made against me

No consideration or examination

of even the complaints,

made in Sweden.

And of course we have always known that we would appeal.

We have always known, that in all likelihood

we would have to appeal.

- Congratulations from an Irish man, I hope you win.

- Thank you.

- I hope you win, we're right behind you,

I hope you win, congratulations.

- I'll stand up for you.

[soft music]

- Today at Belmarsh court, there's been miscarriage

of justice an innocent man has been sentenced,

and these two protestors are wanting

to make a point about that.

Julian Assange is innocent.

He should not be extradited.

- Manning's case, it's very clear the US government

is trying to crack him open with his solitary confinement

by causing emotional devastation.

I think they're trying to get him to issue a confession

or a false confession.

So they can link him to Julian Assange.

- [Assange] The new charges are very interesting,

you know, Mr Manning has now spent

10 months in solitary confinement.

First in Baghdad, then in Kuwait, and now in Quantico,

Virginia in the United States.

Amnesty International has condemned his treatment,

and there are a number of calls for inquiry into it.

The charges themselves, these 22 new charges,

include a charge which labels him

as passing information to an enemy.

The naive reading of the charges would have

that enemy being Wikileaks i.e the publisher.

So the United States appears to be setting

up these charges for two purposes.

Number one, to provide pressure on Bradley Manning,

they're trying to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut

into confessing some kind of relationship with Wikileaks.

In order to embroil us into an espionage case.

The other purpose of these charges is to spread across

a spectrum of different types of criminality.

They've been trying to crack Bradley Manning for months.

By making his conditions worse and worse.

There's been a number of complaints

by his lawyers about that matter.

And Amnesty International has complained about his

treatment, Bradley Manning is not speaking.

And Bradley Manning is exercising his right to silence

and they're trying to force him into a plea deal.

And most legal commentators believe that kind of plea deal

would involve him in saying something that would help

the United States prosecute this organization for espionage

or some other criminal matter that he could be embroiled in.

So that is wrong.

You know, the requirements given by some of those charges is

that Wikileaks is the enemy of the United States,

that the publisher is the enemy of the United States.

And nothing in our four years of publishing shows that

that is in any way true.

We publish from all countries who come to us.

We are not an enemy of the United States,

and it is an abuse against Mr. Manning

and an abuse against us to suggest otherwise.

- [Narrator] October 15th 2011.

Assange was next seen at the

anti capitalist protest, occupy London.

But nothing is straightforward for the man who had published

the largest leak of classified material ever seen.

- We're blocked from speaking at the moment,

but we'll try to negotiate a way through.

Wikileaks has been most attacked,

not by military organizations,

or intelligence organizations,

but actually numerically by banks.

This is an infamous tactic

used by the MET called kettling.

Which doesn't have an analogy

in many other democratic countries.

It is to enclose the populate,

enclose protesters in tight small groups prior to any

sort of accusation of violent activity.

So in this particular example, you see

what is a entirely political protest about the big banks.

Being denied its ability to express itself.

It's very important in a democracy

that people see that they have the numbers.

They see that their opinion is shared

by other people in the community.

And this form of kettling prevents

people coming to a protest

people in the community seeing that their values

are actually a majority.

So that's why it's anti democratic process.

While we can all understand that certain actions need to be

taken in response to true violence.

There is no hint of violence at all.

And I spoke to police earlier today,

they said it will all be a completely calm.

good day, good weather, good people.

[dogs barking]

In 2007, I lived in Cairo,

and I and my friends in Cairo were all too,

too well aware of the behavior of the Mubarak regime

with 20,000 political prisoners,

it seemed impossible that anything could change.

But through courage, determination and professionalism,

we did see a change we saw the end of the Mubarak regime.

And while the situation in the West is different

in important respects to that faced

by people in the Arab Spring.

There are also similarities.

While ideas from the Western enlightenment

entered into the pan Arab states

and gave those activists hope

and technology allowed them to organize better.

We in the West have a lot to learn also from the successes

of people in the Arab Spring.

Their determination and professionalism in response

to years of abuse and torture.

Lead eventually to the overthrow of Mubarak,

and the overthrow of Ben Ali and reforms in Morocco

and throughout many countries in the region.

- [ Assange] What is happening here today.

- [Crowd] What is happening here today.

- [Assange] Is a culmination of dreams.

- [Crowd] Is a culmination of dreams.

- That many people, all over the world.

- [Crowd] That many people all over the world.

- Have worked towards.

- [Crowd] Have worked towards.

- From Cairo to London.

- [Crowd] From Cairo to London.

[crowd cheering]

- [Assange] Wikileaks has published the biggest leaks

in journalistic history.

This has triggered aggressive retaliation

from powerful groups.

Since the seventh of December 2010,

an arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade.

Imposed by the Bank of America, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal,

and Western Union has destroyed 95% of our revenue.

It came as part of the concerted US based political attack

that included vitriol by senior right wing politicians in

the United States and high level calls for the assassination

of Wikileaks staff and myself personally.

- [Narrator] November 2011,

Assange loses his appeal against extradition.

- I have not been charged with any crime in any country.

Despite this, the European arrest warrant is so restrictive

that it prevents UK courts from considering the facts

of a case as judges have made, clear here today.

We will be considering our next step in the days ahead.

This afternoon, the parliament of the United Kingdom

is considering in depth the matters that arise

from various extradition cases

in the United Kingdom, including my own.

Today, the High Court,

has decided,

that any issue that arises from my own case

is of general public importance

and maybe of assistance to other cases

and should be heard by the Supreme Court.

I think that is a correct decision and I am thankful.

The long struggle for justice for me

and others continues, thank you.

- [Narrator] The case is destined

for the highest court in the land.

[soft music]

Seven months on,

the Supreme court upholds the decision to extradite.

- [John] It makes the law to me, seem rather shabby actually

and I'm not talking about,

simply because they found against Assange.

It is their arguments,

which are not based on, MP's understood the law to be

when they passed this extradition legislation in 2001.

- [Narrator] June 2012.

Fearing an extradition to the United States from Sweden

for his alleged crimes of procuring classified information,

Mr. Assange breaches his bail conditions by walking up the

steps of the Ecuadorian embassy taking refuge inside.

Giving Assange assurance he could not be detained

by British police as long as he doesn't set foot outside.

- So,the situation we confront today now is a stalemate.

There is a confrontation,

a confrontation which is not of our choosing.

Because the right to claim asylum,

is the right of any citizen anywhere in the world.

- [Narrator] August 19th 2012

Julian addresses his supporters and the assembled media

from the balcony of the embassy.

With a message for the American establishment.

- The US administration war of whistleblowers must end.

I thank president Correa for the courage

he has shown in considering

and in granting me political asylum.

On Wednesday night after a threat was sent to this embassy

and police descended on this building,

you came out in the middle of the night to watch over

and you brought the world's eyes with you.

Inside this embassy after dark,

I could hear teams of police swarming up into the building

through its internal fire escape.

But I knew there would be witnesses.

And that is because of you.

There is unity in the oppression.

There must be absolute unity

and determination in the response.

[crowd cheering]

Thank you.

[crowd cheering]

[soft music]

- [Vaughan] The Ecuadorians are the only people,

who have properly looked at,

the idea that Julian might be threatened.

That his rights are being threatened,

that he's in danger, physical danger,

of being sent to America.

- We will not allow a Mr. Assange safe passage out

of the United Kingdom.

- [Vaughan] We seem quite incapable of appreciating

and acknowledging that in London Julian Assange

has gone to the Ecuadorian embassy

and he has got political asylum.

And I think that there's an opportunity to reflect on that

and if we are really the tolerant people that we think

we are, we should do that.

- [Narrator] Six months on from breaking bail

with Christmas fast approaching,

Assange addressed the crowds from his window once more.

[crowd cheering]

- Good evening, London.

[crowd cheering]

What a sight for sore eyes.

Six months ago, 185 days ago,

I entered this building.

It has become my home, my office and my refuge.

I came here in summer, it is winter now.

I have been sustained by your solidarity, and I'm grateful

for the efforts of people all around the world.

Supporting the work of Wikileaks,

supporting freedom of speech, freedom of the press,

essential elements in any democracy.

While my freedom is limited,

at least I am still able to communicate this Christmas,

unlike the 232 journalists who are in jail tonight.

It is from the revelation of truth that all else follows.

Our buildings can only be as tall

as their bricks are strong.

Our civilization is only as strong as its ideas are true.

When our buildings are erected by the corrupt,

when their cement is cut with dirt,

when pristine steel is replaced by scrap.

Our buildings are not safe to live in.

And when our media is corrupt, when our academics are timid,

when our history is filled with half truths and lies,

our civilization will never be just,

it will never reach to the sky.

[orchestral music]

- [Narrator] June 2013.

- [Translator] So to sum up,

we sense that granting political asylum

would be ineffective,

if there were not the corresponding recognition

of the guarantee of safe conduct

in line with protection of human rights.

We discussed this issue with the British foreign ministry

which is also concerned about the risk of the subsequent

extradition which may occur of Mr. Assange

from Sweden to the United States.

And this is one of the reasons why Ecuador

has granted political asylum.

Our concerns have worsened,

particularly in light of what has been occurring

in the context of Bradley Manning.

And so together with the UK,

we wish to explore the possible mechanisms

which we can use to make sure that Sweden

would not extradite Mr. Assange, subsequently.

- [Narrator] July 2014.

Air around the embassy was filled with disappointment

as news surfaced that Interpol arrest warrant

would be upheld.

Incarcerated inside the embassy for over two years now,

Assange's hope of freedom was further diminishing.

- The reality is Julian Assange is a political prisoner.

You know he's a dissident in our country,

and we're just not really used to that.

This wouldn't be happening,

there wouldn't be these police outside this embassy.

If it wasn't Julian Assange, if he wasn't a public person,

nobody else would get this.

- [Narrator] August 2014.

Rumors emerge that the WikiLeaks founder

may need hospital treatment.

- The native environment in which any healthy person

would find themselves,

soon enough with certain difficulties.

[orchestral music]

- [Narrator] March 2015.

After years of no progress held up in confinement,

Swedish prosecutors asked

to interview Julian inside the embassy.

Only for it to be canceled a few months later.

According to the founder of the whistleblowing publication.

[Orchestral music]

August 13th 2015.

After the legal time limit had passed,

two of the three sexual allegations were dropped,

the more serious serious rape allegation remains.

From the moment Assange strolled up the steps

in June 2012 to October 2015.

The United Kingdom have spent in excess of 30 million pounds

an expenditure somehow rationalized by the government.

A small victory came to Assange in the form of recognition,

having won UN backing.

January 2016, a UN Working Group panel

on arbitrary detention supports Assange.

- [Melinda] Good afternoon, everyone.

So finally, we have the verdict

of the United Nations Working Group

on arbitrary detention.

And they issued a very detailedopinion which considers

all arguments from Sweden and the United Kingdom.

And this decision dispels the myth,

that Mr. Assange is either a fugitive from justice

or that he could just walk out of the embassy.

It is a damning indictment of the manner

in which this case has been handled.

Further offense Mr. Assange is a victim

of a significant miscarriage of justice,

that is attributable to the action

and inaction of both Sweden and the United Kingdom.

It further emphasize Julian's continued willingness

to cooperate with the investigations in this case

at all stages of the procedure.

- [Philip] Will I reject the finding

of this working group?

It's a group made up of lay people not lawyers.

And their conclusion is flawed in law.

Julian Assange is a fugitive from justice.

He's hiding from justice in the Ecuadorian embassy,

he can come out onto the pavement anytime he chooses.

He's not being detained by us.

But he will have to face justice in Sweden,

if he chooses to do so.

And it's right that he should not be able to escape justice.

This is a, frankly, a ridiculous finding

by the Working Group and we reject it.

- [Melinda] I mean I'm very concerned that they would turn

the United Nations decision as ridiculous.

Well, the United Kingdom is a member

of the Security Council

it's one of the founding members

of the United Nations system.

I would expect that they will want

to uphold the very system that they created.

- What rights does this government

or the US government, or the Swedish government have

to deny my children their father,

for five and a half years?

- [Crowd] Yes, shame on our government.

- [Narrator] May 2016.

Photographs of a new arrival inside the embassy appear

given to him by his children.

The Embassy cat gave a much needed rest bite

from the political storm surrounding Assange.

November 2016.

Swedish authorities interview Assange in the embassy,

lasting two days.

- [Crowd] Yes we can.

Yes we can

Yes we can.

- Yes we can.

- [Narrator] Outgoing US President Barack Obama decides

to free Wikileaks key whistleblower Chelsea Manning,

formerly Bradley Manning.

January 19th.

Assange stands by his offer of extradition

to the United States, provided his rights are protected.

- In 10 days,

the world will witness a hallmark

of our motto.

[crowd boos]

No, no.

But a peaceful transfer of power,

from one freely elected president to the next.

[crowd cheers]

- What we gonna do?

We're gonna make America great again, you watch.

[crowd cheers]

I'm the messenger, I'm just really the messenger.

Although I've been a very good messenger.

Let's face it, right.

[crowd cheers]

I've been a pretty good messenger.

- [Narrator] January 20th.

Donald Trump wins the presidency.

In the lead up to the election,

Assange is cut off from the world,

both physically and technologically.

Ecuador cut the internet over fears

he may have been meddling in the US elections.

April 21 2017.

The new Attorney General Jeff Sessions sets his agenda

declaring Assange's arrest is a priority.

- [Jeff] For the Department of Justice

does not discuss ongoing investigations

or confirm specific matters.

It is important for the American people

and those who might be thinking about

leaking classified or sensitive information.

To know that criminals who would

illegally use their access.

To our most sensitive information

to endanger our national security

are in fact being investigated and will be prosecuted.

Since January, the department has more than triple

the number of active leak investigations compared

to the number of pending at the end

of the last administration.

- [Mike] First to days like today, where we call out those

who grant a platform to these leakers,

and so called transparency activists.

We know the danger that Assange and his not so merry band

of brothers posted democracies around the world.

Ignorance or misplaced idealism is no longer

an acceptable excuse for lionizing these demons.

Second, there are steps that we have to take at home.

In fact this is a process

that we have already started.

We've got to strengthen our own systems,

secure our own staff.

We've got to prove our internal mechanisms that help us.

In our counter intelligence mission.

We need to be as clever and innovative as the enemies

we face because they will not relent.

And we will not either.

Third, we have to recognize that we can no longer

allow Assange and his colleagues the latitude

to use free speech values against us.

To give them the space to crush us

with misappropriated secrets is a perversion

of what our great constitution stands for.

It ends now.

- The persecution of him is completely wrong.

The threats against him are completely wrong.

They should be withdrawn.

He should be freed, heshouldn't have to be imprisoned.

- [Narrator] May 19th 2017.

[crowd cheering]

- [Assange] Today is an important victory,

to me,

and for the UN human right system.

But it by no means, erases

seven years of detention without charge.

In prison,

under house arrest,

and almost five years here,

in this embassy without sunlight.

Seven years without charge,

why my children grew up without me.

That is not something that I can forgive.

It is not something that I can forget.

But let us understand, while today was an important victory

and an important vindication, the road is far from over.

The war, the proper war is just commencing.

The UK has said it will arrest me regardless.

Though the United States CIA director Pompeo

and the US Attorney General, have said that,

I and other Wikileaks staff have no rights.

We have no first amendment rights,

and then my arrest and the arrest

of our other stuff is a priority.

That's not acceptable.

WikiLeaks will continue its publications.

The United Kingdom, the European Union,

is a party to the 1951 convention on refugees.

It states that it adheres to the right for all people

to seek asylum, to receive asylum and to enjoy asylum.

I have that right, you know, political case,

we all have that right.

So, the claim by the United Kingdom indeed has a right

to arrest me for seeking asylum.

In a case where there have been no charges,

which has now been dismissed, is simply untenable.

The UK refuses to confirm or deny at this stage,

whether a US extradition warrant

is already in the UK territory.

How can it be that a journalist

and publisher operating from Europe.

I can be extradited to the United States.

We don't operate in the United States,

We don't publish from the United States.

So that's a threat to all journalists around the world,

wherever they operate.

That if they expose serious abuses occurring

in the national security domain,

there's a threat to extradite them

or indict their organization and all their stuff.

Okay, that's it. Thanks, guys.

[reporters asking questions]

[crowd chanting in foreign language]

- [Narrator] With one obstacle out of the way,

another was just coming into view.

[crowd chanting in foreign language]

[foreign language]

- [Narrator] With Lenin Moreno in power,

who knew the fate of Julian Assange.

In the midst of the unrest in Catalonia,

Assange tweets his support for independence

and accuses Madrid of repression.

Having been warned by the new president Moreno

not to interfere in allied politics.

Life inside the embassy was becoming increasingly strained.

[dramatic music]

- Still bereft of sunlight and cut off from the world.

Assange spent summer of 2018 in silence as noisy accusations

of his ties to Russia's involvement in the 2016

US election were being constructed.

March 2018.

For the second time time Assange's internet access

and communications are cut off.

Barring any connection to the outside world.

October 2018.

Assange launches a legal case,

accusing the newly formed government headed by Moreno

of violating his fundamental rights and freedoms.

Having had new rules imposed on him,

designed to force him out of the embassy.

Ruling a week later that legal action cannot move forward.

With his rights in doubt Julian remained

at the embassy, awaiting his fate.

January 2019.

- [Ciaron] So my relationship with Julian,

our friendship goes back to 2000.

We were active in Australia in the peace

and justice movement.

I was in prison in the United States

for a year in the early 90s.

For disabling a B-52 bomber with three other people,

Catholic pacifists.

And, at that point Julian was 17

and had released out the wank worm.

That's when as an activists field he was arrested

and charged with 36 offenses for hacking.

Now he grew up and moved on from activism

and he started Wikileaks in 2006.

After being a single father raising a child from 17 to 34.

130 days ago, I came here feeling that his extraction

from this building was inevitable and imminent.

And I've been here 130 days.

The only thing the British are offering

for the breach of bail.

Usually bail is indicted if you've been charged

with something, you get out before.

But he hasn't been charged with anything.

The Swedes finished their investigation

and didn't charge him.

So it's just the substitutes to do what the Americans want.

Which is what the Australians do

and the Irish do so don't feel bad about it.

I mean, it's an empire, you know, when the Americans

say jump the British, the Irish, the Australians.

Go, high do you want us to jump?

Who do you want us to land on?

And how hard do you want us to land on them?

Yeah, it's tragic,

it's like a slow motion crucifixion.

- [Narrator] April 2019.

With ties becoming strained between the WikiLeaks founder

and the new government, it became increasingly more likely

Assange would be extradited.

Subsequently looking at spending the rest of his life

rotting in solitary confinement

in the United States prison cell.

It's April 10th,

and these days my solidarity with Julian

being here 24 hours, seven days a week.

But I was at the first court appearance of Julian,

when he walked in voluntarily to Kennedy Township

police station December 7th 2010.

[reporters shouting]

Well different people have different entry points.

I'm a bit dyslexic, I'm not very techy.

My entry point as an anti-war activist.

I'm part of Pacifist Catholic Worker Movement

has been going since the 30s.

People were jailed in World War two for anti conscription.

We were the first people to burn draft cards publicly

in the early part of the Vietnam War.

And then two priests Daniel and Philip Berrigan

led the Draft Board Raid Movement.

Where people, nuns and priests and laity would break

into draft boards, and destroy draft files.

And it's kind of interesting because Dan and Phil were on

the front page of Time magazine in 1968.

Julian was in 2010.

And then Hoover and Nixon had a meeting

about how to marginalize them.

And I'm sure similar meetings have happened without Julian

and they were quite successful.

In both instances, of radicalizing any support

and marginalizing.

Some of my prison conditions in different places have been

worse and some have been better.

The most significant part of it being worse

is this is sensory deprivation.

There's no change in heat or cold,

no ability to see more than five meters.

No healthcare access.

So it's changed for four or five different ambassadors,

since he went in there.

And they sacked the ambassador

and half the staff in December.

Probably because they thought that he was too sympathetic

and then just made the environment much more toxic.

Like there's a live feed to Quito from in that building.

There's more and more cameras.

That's what we hear from John Pilger and others who visited.

So they're trying to push him out

and they're having difficulties

cause he's an Ecuadorian citizen.

So leak happened last week from within the government

that he had hours or days left.

If that leak had not happened,

he'd probably be gone by now.

But on Friday 40 Media turned up and now that's just

a lot of them going, from roughly doing 24/7.

[soft music]

He won't surrender, he'll be dragged out eventually

and he'll be put in prison here.

Facing extradition he'll fight that.

What I hope to do is move there and try

and get a support group going around the prison,

And because as a former prisoner, I know the significance

of solidarity basically.

They've set up protocols hoping he'll break them.

I believe that one of them is he can't come to the window.

You know, so he's only ever spoken four times,

from the balcony.

Yeah, so there's good people everywhere.

And that was my feeling in prison too.

But it is a bit like prison in the sense

that I'm restricted to certain area.

But you find good people everywhere.

And you find threats everywhere too.

Apparently Wikileaks have found one [laughs]

So yeah, there's news that they've been infiltrated,

or something like that.

- [Narrator] April 10th 2019

News emerges of an extensive spying campaign

orchestrated on Assange.

- Let me just begin with telling you the basics.

The new and unexpected thing that just came into light

in the last few days.

Is that Wikileaks uncovered an extensive spying operation

against Julian Assange within the Ecuadorian embassy.

It entails a total invasion of privacy of Mr. Assange.

- [Kristinn] What we have established is that

security cameras were used to monitor

his every move, his every meeting with visitors.

- One thing is absolutely clear,

with the new government,

Ecuador is not protecting Julian anymore.

It's not protecting him as it should,

since it granted him political asylum.

Quite the contrary,

the government is making everything

possible to end the asylum.

- [Fidel] And the only reason, why it hasn't happened yet,

is because the international shame,

the historic shame, that will be entitled to Ecuador.

We know since January that there was a request

by the US government to Ecuador,

to allow the interrogation of diplomats

that worked in the Ecuadorian embassy,

in relations to an ongoing investigation,

criminal investigation,

and to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.

And we know that the Ecuadorian government did comply.

We also know that there was a request to hand over

visitors logs from the embassy and video recordings from

within the security cameras in the embassy.

So we assume that this material, this extensive material

that has been gathered has been handed over

to the Trump administration.

- [Fidel] Let's remember that Julian Assange

is not serving any sentence.

He doesn't have any charges.

He is a political refugee.

Political refugees do not lose rights,

on the contrary, they should have their rights protected.

What we have here is a clearly human rights

violation of a journalist.

- The Moreno government in Ecuador has been all too willing

to help out by pushing Julian Assange out of the embassy.

This attempt to have this done has been escalating

in the last few weeks and even days.

And even last week, we heard that he was,

from very reliable sources on Friday to this race

that was imminent that he would be evicted

from the embassy and arrested.

On learning Moreno's orders, the president of Equador.

The only reason why this was averted, in our opinion,

is the fact that we learned about it.

And we were able to publish that information.

That was the only reason why

that was stopped probably temporarily.

- [Ciaron] When I came here 138 days ago, whatever it was,

I expected him to be lifted that night.

So they've obviously backed off because of the leak.

The more observing that's going on, but more presence

the safer it is to Julian so it's good at the moment.

There seems to be about five people here which is good

because often it's just me.

That red car there that's probably embassy police.

- [Ciaron] They're armed and they do a circuit every hour

but they've been back about four times in past hour now.

Two nights ago a van pulled up right in front of me,

another guy, cop got out a machine gun

and part of this is just to stress him out mentally

you know, it's the kind of low intensity conflict

on his mental health.

- [Ciaron] I would think this Lenin Marino who seems

to be keen to turn Ecuador back into a US colony

and you know, the history of South America

and United States post World War Two.

Is the US toppling democratic government after democratic

government and putting military juntas in.

- [Ciaron] It's a toxic hostile staff now

compared to what preceded it.

Like he was invited in,

by the president Correa who now,

has an arrest warrant issued on him.

The president who invited him in,

is now at large trying to get asylum in Belgium.

So this place has gone from a sanctuary to a trap.

And the Special Branch are here 24/7.

And they're probably number 18, that's my guess.

And there is no where to do a run up from here.

- [Crowd] Free, free Julian Assange.

- Well, what does it mean to journalism you know like,

Chomsky calls mainstream journalists,

the demographers of power,

which is this real, journalism is questioning the story

behind the story and yeah.

The lack of transparency just leads to corruption.

Everything can become corrupt Christianity, communism,

capitalism, democracy, feminism.

So you've got to have transparency

and power to be held to account.

It's the death of free expression.

He's very resolute and he's very convinced

with the significance of his work.

And, but obviously is starved of intellectual stimulation

which he thrives on.

No one could argue that he could be a multimillionaire

poolside Silicon Valley.

And he's decided to you know, give the gifts

I believe God gave him to expose the rich

and powerful wage constant war on the poor.

And, you know, that's pretty impressive.

It's very similar to the story of John the baptist

in that sense that you had a collaborator King,

a Jewish King Herod, who wanted to appease the empire,

Roman happens to be American now,

and delivered the head of a prophet.

And what is a prophet?

A prophet doesn't necessarily have to be a really nice guy.

That's a saint.

A prophet is someone who speaks truth to power.

And as Oscar Wilde who used to live in this building said,

If you tell people the truth, and don't make them laugh,

they'll wanna kill you.

So Julian probably needs a gag rider.

- [Narrator] April 11th 2019.

In the early hours of the morning,

to avoid any commotion on the wealthy

streets of Knightsbridge.

A frail and weaker Assange is carried down

the very steps he walked up over seven years ago.

After the Ecuadorian government saw fit

to invite the British police inside.

[crowd shouting]

Seen on Ruptly.

Media campaigns to discredit the infamous publisher evolved

leaked videos from inside the Ecuadorian embassy

and comments made by Merino's embassy staff

on his personal hygiene,

gave the government enough ammunition

to rid themselves of Assange.

Handing him over to the British police.

A stark contrast to the government that provided his asylum.

- Those allegations are a smear campaign,

smoking screen made by the government.

In order to cover,

the fundamental thing.

The fundamental thing here is that Ecuador

has handed over a political refugee,

to his persecutors.

Ecuador has breached every single legislation

on political asylum and refugee there is.

So that's in a sense a crime,

and in order to cover that

they need to bring their attention to something else.

It's outrageous, it's absolutely outrageous.

It was basically a kidnapping,

he didn't walk out by his own will, outside of the embassy.

He was dragged by force,

he refuse and he was right to refuse.

He became Ecuadorian during this time.

That was his embassy.

According to the Ecuadorian constitution,

no Ecuadorian could be extradited ever.

- Good day, well look at that.

- Another last one.

- [Alan] Can I say we are very grateful to the ambassador

and to president Moreno.

For bringing this to a conclusion,

I think everyone is pleased that

this has finally come to an end.

And I think it will signal ever improving relations

between the United Kingdom and Ecuador,

and we look forward to such.

Increased activities over the years ahead.

So thank you once again ambassador.

Thank you.

- [Narrator] Meanwhile, in the United States,

the indictment showing Julian's charges is unsealed,

revealing the charge to be a conspiracy

to commit computer intrusion.

No new information is disclosed.

- Now you have all probably heard about the indictment

and the nature of the indictments.

Which I think are very revealing

about the nature of this entire case.

It is based, 17 as was pointed out,

by the indictments on the Espionage Act,

which is an archaic legal framework

from the World War One period,

and has never in its 102 years history

been used against the publisher

and the journalists, never before.

- What is now going on is that

the United States is of course furious.

It's the first elephant in the room breaking everything.

It's furious, and it's violating

a lot of fundamental rights.

- [Kristinn] This is a watershed moment

for the preservation of journalism

This is about press freedom.

The Assange case and his extradition request

and this case is more than just

something pertains to one person, or one organization.

This is about the future of press freedom in our part

of the world where we have been rather privileged

with relatively good standing.

It is a crackdown on press freedom,

nothing less.

Publishing of documents, of videos of the killing

of innocent civilians, exposure of war crimes.

This is journalism, it's called conspiracy.

It's conspiracy to commit journalism.

- [Geoffrey] I have faith in the British justice system.

And I think he will argue

that this is a breach of his right to freedom of speech

which we uphold to an extent.

To throw him to the American wolves who are determined

to jail him for a long time.

So, yes, I've got faith that the British

justice system may prevent that.

As to the American justice system, ending up in the

Supreme Court in a few years,

with the majority of Trump appointees, I'm not so sure.

- May 1st 2019, Southwark Crown Court.

Assange is handed a 50 week jail sentence,

for breaching bail.

[crowd shouting]

- [Kristinn] To get a sentence only two weeks short

of the maximum sentence, is an outrage.

It's almost double the sentencing guideline.

And may I point out just into comparison,

that the so called speedboat killer.

Got six months for not showing up in court,

to hear his sentencing for manslaughter.

But the fight continues tomorrow is the big fight,

the start of a big and the most important fight.

The fight against the extradition of Julian Assange

to the United States.

What is at stake there?

Could be a question of life and death,

for Mr. Assange.

It is also a question of life and death,

for a major journalistic principle.

- [Narrator] May 2nd 2019.

Assange appears via a video link in one of the smallest

court rooms at Wesminster Magistrates.

With the session only lasting 10 minutes,

a new procedural hearing date is set.

This is a matter of life and death for Assange.

May 7th 2019.

Visitors of Julian approach the assembled media

outside Belmarsh prison.

- I think I speak for both of us that we are quite

emotional after this first social visit that Julian's

allowed after being in here for a month.

- Obviously, it's been very difficult to see

Julian here and to make our way through the prison

to get to him was quite shocking and difficult.

He does not deserve to be in a super max prison.

He has never committed a violent act.

He's an innocent person.

You know justice will depend on public support.

- I guess he lost about 20 pounds, at least.

- The visiting hours are very, very precious.

Sorry I'm really upset.

Julian is a gentle, intellectual

in a maximum security prison,

it's just very moving to see Julian

particularly in those circumstances coming out of sick bay

and having lost 10 kilograms weight considerable terms.

When loosing weight

and being a little ill

is a big challenge.

But fighting spirit is there and he's still bossy.

- [Narrator] May 23rd 2019.

Assange is accused of 17 new charges brought forward

by the justice department.

The indictment states that Mr. Assange had repeatedly

encouraged sources with access to classified information,

to steal and provide it to Wikileaks to disclose.

No evidence was shown.

May 30th 2019.

News is released that Assange is too ill

to attend the hearing.

Resurfacing rumors of his poor health,

even signs of psychological torture.

[soft music]

The complicated extradition process,

which involves both Sweden and the United States

and deals with press freedom and national security issues,

is expected to last for months or years to come.

June 11th 2019.

United States submit an extradition request.

Sajid Javid confirms and signs the request,

setting up the extradition case in 2020,

the very case he fears most.

- [Geoffrey] Because of the cruelty

of the British government.

He hasn't been allowed even to go to a hospital for a day,

to get his chest scanned, he has a bad chest condition

according to specialist doctors.

And so that has not been allowed,

maybe allowed in a British prison hospital.

But the conditions in an American super max prison

are quite horrific and his freedom

and his spirit may well be broken.

He has a strong spirit, a spirit which is determined

to publish whatever he comes across or is sent to him,

which is of public interest.

And remember that history books are now being informed

by WikiLeaks revelations hardly a week goes by

without the news based on some Wikileaks revelation.

So he's sacrificed a lot for his belief in freedom

of speech and the issue will be whether our judges

and perhaps eventually American judges have the same relief,

or whether they're hypocrites.

- This deep disparity with the US is about to be laid bare

when the courts decide whether the WikiLeaks publisher

Julian Assange will beextradited to the US on charges

of espionage for exposing war crimes,

the murder of civilians and large scale corruption.

Will the prime minister agree with the parliamentary report

that's going to the Council of Europe that this extradition

should be opposed and the rights of journalists

and whistleblowers are held for the good of all of us?

- Prime minister.

- Mr. Speaker, I'm not gonna comment on any individual case.

But it is obvious that the rights of journalists

and whistleblowers should be upheld

and this government will clearly continue to do that.

[crowd chanting]

- [Narrator] February 24 2020.

Crowds gather at Woolwich crime court

in support of the brave publisher.

- From the angel of democracy and nobody knows more

about democracy than Julian Assange, it's not a crime,

to publish American war crimes,

it's in the interests democracy.

[crowd chanting]

- Robert Gates, ex secretary of defense before congress

in a testimony said that, it's awkward

embarrassing, that no damage was done.

I'll note that the prosecutor didn't err give one example

of a broken fingernail.

Just he said that sources were in danger,

that's simply not true.

- Thank you, as john said it's only a 10 minute break now.

So it's gonna be short.

But what was presented here was an overwhelming evidence

of how politicized the entire process has been.

As the channels are presented, very compelling evidence

of how it was decided under Obama not to prosecute

because of the impossibility

of singling out one publisher,

WikiLeaks, one journalist Julian Assange

and not going after all those who were actually part

of that project the New York Times problem

as as it was called.

It was laid out here how then after Trump came to power,

every avenue was sought to actually go after Julian Assange.

That is apparent from

quote from Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General,

from Mike Pompeo in 2017

when he started to depicting Wikileaks

as a hostile intelligence service,

and of course by this amazing revelation

that congressman Dana Rohrabacher

made an offer to Julian Assange

that if he would reveal his source of the 2016 DNC leaks.

They would bring back the message to Donald Trump

and secure leniency or pardon.

Of course that offer was denied.

There was no doubt about it.

That congressman Rohrabacher and his colleague

at that meeting, were saying that they were acting

under instruction by full knowledge

of President Trump in making that offer.

That is extraordinary only when that offer was declined

the process of formulating the indictments,

of getting the hands on Julian Assange

started in full earnest and we know how that all ended.

What was, of course, astonishing to hear

that we will hear more of his the revelation

that the security company the private security company hired

to look after the interests of Julian

was again hired rehired

by the funder of Donald Trump,

Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson to spy on Julian

and evidence will be produced

by whistleblowers from that company who will anonymously

bear witness in this court, how they spied on everything,

and tell you exactly who they were working for,

it was US intelligence it's the dark side.

They said internally in between themselves.

They were spying on the legally privileged conversation

between Julian and his lawyers.

And everything, almost in real time, was transported back

to intelligence agency in the US.

There was even discussions among the staff in the embassy

that more extreme measures would be possibly be taken.

Apart from this spying on Julian,

namely kidnapping or poisoning.

[soft music]

- [Narrator] February 25th 2020.

[crowd shouting]

News breaks of the inhumane care

the founder of Wikileaks is receiving.

February 26th 2020.

Sitting in a bulletproof box,

unable to be properly engaged in the proceedings.

Assange's lawyer revealed to the court

that he is now on medication,

fueling further rumors of his weakening health.

[crowd chanting]

February 27th 2020.

[soft music]

- [Craig] The main stream media came here

for the opening statement of the prosecution.

Yeah, they copy and paste it from the prosecution

thing saying Mr. Assange is a common criminal

and then they all went homeeven before the defense started.

So I'm afraid that,

but that simply tells us

what we already knew about the main stream media.

Anyway, thank you.

- It's not a fair hearing, it's not a fair hearing.

If one side is more armed than the other.

If one side can go back and forth with their lawyers

and discuss the route that they need to take

or point out the things might be factually incorrect.

It will have an equally chilling effect

on both whistleblowers and publishers.

Because it sets the precedent that,

it doesn't matter where you are reporting from,

it doesn't matter who gives you the documents,

none of that matters.

If you do something that another state doesn't like,

they can reach out that extra territorial arm

and pluck you from that country

and throw you into a hole in theirs.

So in this case, we have an Australian

publisher in Europe and the United Kingdom

being sought by the United States.

Where he is looking down the barrel of 175 years in prison.

They've already stated that they'll keep him

under what they call SAM's Special Administrative Measures.

We understand how the United States government works

with their terminology, they talk about.

Enhanced interrogation techniques,

which is a synonym for torture.

SAM's is a synonym for solitary confinement in isolation.

He wouldn't be allowed to speak to his family.

He'd only be allowed to speak to his lawyer

and his lawyer wouldn't be allowed to convey anything

that he said to the public

without his lawyer themselves being thrown into prison.

- John Shipton, Julian Assange's his father here,

outside Belmarsh with the supporters.

This is the fourth day.

The story continues to unfold as some sort

of fraud upon the court,

by the Department of Justice in the United States,

because they have, all of their evidence has been proved

to be, as our barrister says,

lies, lies and more lies, the extraordinary.

This abrogation of Julian's human rights

started 10 years ago, with 10 days arbitrary detention

in Wandsworth prison in solitary.

Then after that 18 months house arrest in Norridge,

after that Julian had to seek asylum

and was given asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.

And that was seven and a half years of arbitrary detention.

- Can you hear me?

- [Crowd] Yeah.

- [John] Now, after the United Kingdom contravened

its own conventions to arrest Julian

without the revocation of the asylum that has given him.

They arrested him and charged him with skipping bail,

and has been in Belmarsh maximum security prison

for about 10 months now.

So 10 years of arbitrary detention, you don't have to take

my word for there's a Working Group,

the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention,

their determination, there's this secondary

they're reporting in February 2018,

from the Working Group on arbitrary detention.

There's Nils Melzer of the UN rapporteur on torture.

His conclusions that Julian

had been psychologically tortured,

deliberately smeared,

mobbed.

There's also the United Nations rapporteur on privacy,

his determination that Julian's privacy

had been stolen from him.

There's the illegal surveillance by UC global

on behalf of the CIA,

the list just goes on and on.

You know, I just take each day as it comes

and do what I can to ensure that Julian

comes home to his family, that's all.

- [Narrator] Court proceedings are adjourned

with three weeks of evidence scheduled on May 18th.

- [Crowd] Free Julian Assange.

Free Julian Assange.

Free Julian Assange.

Free Julian Assange.

[soft music]

- [Narator] Julian Assange the enemy of America

for nearly 15 years lies in Belmarsh prison

awaiting his fate.

Fate that will have grave implications

across the media driven world,

from whistleblowers to journalists.

Fate that will change the way stories can be investigated.

Fate that will be decided in the months to come.

From coder to convict, Assange has brought information

and injustices to light that would

otherwise be stored and forgotten.

Whether you support or shun his methods.

Undoubtedly his revolutionary publishing has changed

the way journalism is conducted.

Holding governments that act in our name

to a definitive account.

With ailing health

and the Coronavirus pandemic in full swing.

Doctors expressed fear that Assange

may not see the light of day, again.

- I think it's important to remember at this time,

that as we go back out into the world,

we leave these happy headlands,

this this open face setting with all these happy hills.

We remember that the world of tomorrow,

is not gonna be like the past.

And the networks we move into are going to be threatened

by the KGB, the CIA, Sears, Roebuck

and any number of strange,

ostensibly honest, suspicious entities whose very nature

and motivations must be very carefully scrutinized.

So it's upto the entire public to defend itself

to look to the extension of freedom of privacy,

freedom of information, freedom of association

and all the things that have made America great

in this strange new and dark network world.

[soft music]