Key Points
- An anonymous Bitcoiner donated 8 BTC worth almost $500k to help Julian Assange get to Australia.
- Assange is now a free man after a plea deal with the US.
According to the latest reports, in an effort to secure Julian Assange’s freedom, an anonymous Bitcoin donated 8 BTC worth almost $500k to help Assange’s family pay off the debt incurred by his travel and settlement expenses.
In a recent interview, Assange’s wife, Stella Assange, stated that freedom comes at a cost as Assange was required to pay $520,000 to the Australian government for the chartering of flight VJ199 to travel to Saipan and Australia.
Assange’s wife started a crowdfunding page to help with his debts after his return to Australia.
URGENT: Emergency appeal for donations to cover massive USD 520,000 debt for jet.
Julian’s travel to freedom comes at a massive cost: Julian will owe USD 520,000 which he is obligated to pay back to the Australian government for charter Flight VJ199. He was not permitted to fly… pic.twitter.com/J6sTbXij53
— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) June 25, 2024
The donation link was posted by Stella Assange in the message and within 10 hours an anonymous Bitcoin paid more than 8 BTC to the fund almost covering all expenses.
At the moment the fund raised about $415,000.
The Bitcoin donation was the largest one for the fund to help Assange:
Assange lands in Australia debt-free
According to the latest reports, Assange landed in Australia as a free man and also debt-free.
Bloomberg reported that speaking to the Australian parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that he was very pleased with how things turned out for Assange.
He said that regardless of people’s views about his activities, Assange’s case has been dragged on for too long.
He stated that this outcome has been the product of careful, patient, and determined work.
Yesterday, June 25, we reported that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was planning to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge this week, as part of a plea deal with the US Justice Department.
Assange became a symbol of the freedom of the press and freedom of speech all over the world.
