Background
Born in Australia, Julian Assange is a celebrated activist, publisher, and editor whose global prominence soared after he founded Wikileaks. He also held Ecuadorian citizenship from 2017-2021. The explosive leaks that Wikileaks published came from Chelsea Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, and contained highly confidential material. So severe were the charges leveled against Julian Assange that Ecuador's government genuinely feared he could face the death penalty if handed over to the U.S.
Lawsuits
Following the 2010 leaks, the United States opened a formal criminal investigation into Wikileaks. Many viewed this move as retaliatory — an effort by the U.S. to strip Julian Assange of any platform through which he might release additional content.
Julian Assange himself argued that the sexual misconduct allegations were nothing more than a cover story designed to facilitate his extradition from Sweden to the United States, all because he had chosen to publish secret governmental information online. When his extradition hearing didn't go his way, he fled to the Embassy of Ecuador in London. It was in August 2012 that Ecuador's government made the decision to offer him asylum.
Having lost his extradition battle to Sweden, Assange violated the conditions of his bail contract and took refuge at the Embassy of Ecuador in London. That same year, the government of Ecuador officially granted Julian Assange asylum.
Assange Today
In 2019, Swedish authorities dropped their investigation into Julian Assange, explaining that the passage of time since the leaks had significantly eroded the strength of the available evidence. Since April of that same year, Assange has been held in a category A prison in London.