WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has remained hidden from the world since his release from prison and return to Australia. He is expected to reemerge and speak publicly for the first time about his story as he addresses the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights which is part of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), AFP reported Wednesday.
The 53-year-old free speech advocate will have to travel to Strasbourg next week in order to testify. It will be his first public address in months. PACE has produced a report on Assange’s experiences and believes he was a political prisoner and is demanding to know if Britain – faithfully following US orders – subjected him to any inhumane treatment or cruel and unusual punishment.
When Assange wasn’t in a maximum security prison in the UK, he was hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy in London over the span of 14 years in what can only be described as a twilight existence of cramped isolation. The toughest part of Assange’s experience was his imprisonment at Belmarsh, where he went after his arrest by British Police who were serving a warrant from the US Department of Justice. He was charged with stealing and disclosing classified documents.
Belmarsh is a facility usually reserved for the worst criminals serving hard time. He spent five years there and his physical decline, seen in fleeting pictures, was shocking. He became a lightning rod for freedom of the press and speech during his incarceration.
After being released from prison on a plea deal, he appeared in court in the US-owned Marianas Islands. He was met by his wife in Canberra before finding some solitude at a lonely beach in Australia where he spent the last few months with his family.
"Julian Assange is still in recovery following his release from prison,” WikiLeaks said on Wednesday, noting he would attend the Council of Europe “session in person due to the exceptional nature of the invitation."
Some legal experts believe Assange’s appearance could put his bid for a U.S. presidential pardon at risk.
"He’ll inevitably be critical of the US government on some level and I can’t see that as something that is going to be considered helpful," Holly Cullen, a law professor at the University of Western Australia, told AFP.
