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2019: Ecuador survives 40m cyber attacks after Assange arrest
In mid-April 2019, the Ministry of Telecommunications of Ecuador reported that 40 million cyber attacks hit state bodies of the country after the arrest of Julian Assange. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Central Bank, the Presidential Administration and other departments were attacked by hackers.
According to the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technologies of Ecuador Patricio Real, the wave of cyber attacks began on April 11, 2019, most of them came from, Brazil,, USA,, Netherlands,, and Romania Germany France Austria Great Britain Ecuador itself. At the same time, in just a day, Ecuador moved 20 places up in the list of states most attacked by hackers.
Patricio Real told reporters that many countries offered Ecuador help in countering these attacks, but "not a single proposal was accepted." The deputy minister said that Ecuador has a sufficient level of computer protection.
According to Real, the cyber attacks did not lead to the theft of government data, but made it difficult to access the accounts of employees of state institutions. It will be problematic to establish the identity of the hackers, he added.
On April 11, 2019, Julian Assange was expelled from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had been granted asylum since 2012. British law enforcement officers arrested the founder of Wikileaks, who faces extradition to the United States. If espionage charges are brought against the whistleblower in the United States, then he faces the death penalty. Assange himself said that in the United States he faces punishment for publishing secret State Department documents.
Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said Julian Assange repeatedly violated the conditions of his asylum stay and tried to use the Ecuadorian embassy in London as a center of espionage.[1]
2021
British court denies extradition of Julian Assange to US
On January 4, 2021, a court in the UK refused to extradite Julian Assange to the United States for reasons of "potential risk to his health and well-being."
American lawyers are expected to appeal.
Receiving a donation in the amount of $400 thousand.
In early January 2021, it became known about the donation of about $400 thousand in favor of Julian Assange. As reported in the Whale Alert Twitter account (specializing in tracking cryptocurrency transactions), someone sent 8.48 bitcoins (about $280 thousand) in support of the founder of WikiLeaks. Another user translated 4.51 bitcoins (about $125 thousand). These funds are aimed at the legal defense of Assange and the WikiLeaks project .
In early January 2021, a court in London refused to extradite Julian Assange to the US authorities. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser pointed out that the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the United States is impossible because it would harm the psychological health of the arrested person and create a risk of his suicide.
 | I am convinced that in these difficult conditions, Mr. Assange's mental health will deteriorate, as a result of which he will commit suicide with a determination characteristic of his autism spectrum disorder, "said Judge Vanessa Baraitser. |  |
The judge rejected all other arguments of the defense and fully supported the position of the American authorities. According to her, the charges against Assange are not unlawful, British law allows him to be extradited even if he is prosecuted for political reasons, and in the United States he can expect a fair and impartial consideration of his case.
Earlier, Assange's lawyer said that US President Donald Trump was previously ready to pardon the founder of WikiLeaks if he gave information about the source of the hacker attack on the servers of the Democratic National Committee in 2016.
The Mexican authorities intend to offer Julian Assange political asylum, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on January 4, 2020.
If extradited, Assange could be sentenced in the US to 175 years in a maximum security prison. All charges are related to the illegal receipt and release of classified data related to defense.[2]
Case returned to Westminster court
A court in London in December 2021 ruled in favor of the US government and allowed the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States.
But the Court of Appeal in London has returned Assange's extradition case to the Court of Westminster. Assange himself remains in custody.
2022
Marrying a lawyer in prison
At the end of March 2022, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is in Belmarsh prison in London, married his lawyer Stella Morris. This is reported by The Guardian.
The couple met when Morris began working for Assange's legal team. The couple began a close relationship back in 2015. According to Maurice, she came to the embassy, Ecuador where Assange took refuge from British justice, every day, and eventually fell in love with him. In 2017, the founder of WikiLeaks proposed to her, but they did not have time to get married. Assange and Morris are known to have two children.
In November 2021, the couple filed for marriage. The UK State Penitentiary Service has allowed the wedding ceremony to be held at Belmarsh Prison in south-east London, where Assange is being held. The ceremony took place under the supervision of two overseers. Julian Assange and Stella Morris had four guests and two witnesses at their wedding. Assange and Maurice signed the marriage certificate, then Maurice cut the wedding cake. According to The Guardian, the guests left the prison immediately after the event. The bride also gave a speech to supporters of the WikiLeaks founder who gathered outside the prison building.
The founder of WikiLeaks was detained in the capital of Great Britain at the request of the United States. In the United States, a case was opened against Assange in connection with the publication on the WikiLeaks website of US service documents on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as diplomatic cables in 2010 and 2011. Assange faces imprisonment until 2097. The journalist was taken into custody by British police, after Ecuador denied him diplomatic asylum. [3]
Court issues warrant for Assange's extradition to US
On April 20, 2022, a court in London issued a warrant for the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, the final decision will be made by the British Interior Minister.
British authorities approve Assange's extradition to the United States
On June 17, 2022, British authorities approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, WikiLeaks reports, the defense will appeal this decision.
2024
London court postpones Assange's extradition to the United States
On March 26, 2024, a London court ordered the postponement of the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States until the appeal was completed.
If the court did not agree to consider Assange's appeal against the decision already made to expel him, then the process of extraditing the Australian journalist to the Americans would begin immediately.
The court is ready to send the founder of WikiLeaks to the United States, but in three weeks and with the condition of providing guarantees from Washington that the journalist will not be sentenced to death and his rights will be respected, including the right to comply with the first amendment of the American Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and press.
Otherwise Britain , the state that they can satisfy Assange's appeal challenging the decision to extradite him. The case will continue to be considered on May 20.
In the United States, a 52-year-old journalist was charged with 17 charges of espionage and another of computer misuse in connection with the publication of secret documents about the activities of the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange faces 175 years in prison, and he is actually being tried for exercising the right to free speech.
The journalist has spent the past five years in Belmarsh maximum security prison on the outskirts of London.
Assange's lawyers rightly argue that his extradition would amount to punishment for political views and violate his right to free speech.
At the same time, the Australian authorities, whose citizen is Assange, do not have any particular interest in his fate, urge to allow the journalist to return to his homeland. At the same time, they were ready to extradite Assange to Washington even more than 10 years ago and the position of the government did not change.
Release after pleading guilty to one count
On June 24, 2024, the High Court in London granted bail to Julian Assange. The journalist spent 1901 days in prison awaiting extradition to the United States, where he faced up to 175 years in prison on espionage charges. His release was made possible by a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice in which he pleaded guilty in part.
The WikiLeaks organization said on X/Twitter that Assange, 52, left Belmarsh prison on the morning of June 24 after 1901 days of imprisonment. After his release, Assange was transported to London's Stansted Airport, from where he flew to Australia to be reunited with his wife Stella Assange and children.
On June 26, 2-24, Julian Assange was released from the courtroom on Saipan Island, the capital of the Mariana Islands, after concluding a deal with the US Department of Justice, his espionage case was officially dropped. He pleaded guilty to one count.
Notes
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