{
  "id": 64,
  "slug": "2019-us-assange-espionage-act-indictment",
  "title": "United States indicts WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under the Espionage Act",
  "occurred_on": "2019-05-23",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "US",
  "country": "US",
  "continent": "north-america",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws",
  "leader_slug": "donald-trump",
  "issue_of_the_day": "WikiLeaks' 2010 publication of leaked United States military reports and diplomatic cables supplied by Chelsea Manning.",
  "outcome": "reversed",
  "outcome_on": "2024-06-25",
  "outcome_note": "Assange spent five years in a British prison fighting extradition before a June 2024 plea deal: he pleaded guilty to one count, was sentenced to time served, and was released.",
  "granularity": "anchor",
  "era": "2010s",
  "summary": "The United States indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on 17 counts under the Espionage Act over the 2010 publication of leaked military and diplomatic files, charges press-freedom groups said could expose ordinary national-security journalism to prosecution.{c:238}{c:239}{c:240}{c:241}",
  "what_happened": "On May 23, 2019, the U.S. Justice Department added 17 counts under the Espionage Act, a 1917 law against disclosing defense information, to an existing charge against Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, a website that publishes leaked documents. The new counts concerned WikiLeaks' 2010 publication of classified military reports and diplomatic cables supplied by U.S. Army analyst Chelsea Manning. Assistant Attorney General John Demers said, \"Julian Assange is no journalist,\" and the department said his actions \"risked serious harm to United States national security to the benefit of our adversaries.\" Assange's attorney, Barry Pollack, said the charges \"demonstrate the gravity of the threat the criminal prosecution of Julian Assange poses to all journalists,\" since the conduct charged, receiving and publishing classified material from a source, is conduct news organizations routinely engage in. Assange was then in British custody after his April 2019 arrest at Ecuador's London embassy; the United States sought his extradition.{c:238}{c:239}{c:240}{c:241}",
  "stated_justification": "Assistant Attorney General John Demers said, \"Julian Assange is no journalist, this is made plain by the totality of his conduct as alleged in the indictment,\" and the department said his actions \"risked serious harm to United States national security to the benefit of our adversaries.\"{c:238}{c:239}",
  "effect_on_reporting": "Assange's attorney and press-freedom groups said charging the receipt and publication of leaked classified material under the Espionage Act, rather than only its unauthorized disclosure, could expose ordinary national-security journalism to prosecution.{c:240}",
  "unknowns": null,
  "status": "historical",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-22T23:08:18Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 5,
  "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:08:13Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T00:10:36Z",
  "stage": "punish",
  "ladder_note": null,
  "country_name": "United States",
  "tactics": [
    "secrets_and_espionage_laws"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "donald-trump",
    "name": "Donald Trump",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-us-assange-espionage-act-indictment",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-22T23:08:18Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 2,
    "status": "historical",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": null
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "donald-trump",
      "name": "Donald Trump",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/donald-trump"
    },
    {
      "slug": "john-demers",
      "name": "John Demers",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "ordered",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/john-demers"
    },
    {
      "slug": "julian-assange",
      "name": "Julian Assange",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "other",
      "role_at_time": null,
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  "outlets": [
    {
      "slug": "wikileaks",
      "name": "WikiLeaks",
      "relation": "affected",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/wikileaks"
    }
  ],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 238,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 64,
      "field": "stated_justification",
      "value": "Demers says Assange is not a journalist",
      "statement": "Assistant Attorney General John Demers said Assange's conduct showed he was not a journalist.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 215,
      "evidence_quote": "Julian Assange is no journalist, this is made plain by the totality of his conduct as alleged in the indictment.",
      "evidence_date": "2019-05-23",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:08:13Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 215,
        "url": "https://abcnews.com/Politics/julian-assange-charged-18-count-indictment-wikileaks-disclosures/story?id=63234593",
        "final_url": "https://abcnews.com/Politics/julian-assange-charged-18-count-indictment-wikileaks-disclosures/story?id=63234593",
        "title": "Julian Assange charged with violating Espionage Act in 18-count indictment",
        "publisher": "ABC News",
        "published_on": "2019-05-23",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/238"
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    {
      "id": 239,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 64,
      "field": "stated_justification",
      "value": "DOJ alleges harm to national security",
      "statement": "The Justice Department said Assange's actions risked serious harm to United States national security.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 215,
      "evidence_quote": "Assange's actions risked serious harm to United States national security to the benefit of our adversaries.",
      "evidence_date": "2019-05-23",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
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      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:08:14Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 215,
        "url": "https://abcnews.com/Politics/julian-assange-charged-18-count-indictment-wikileaks-disclosures/story?id=63234593",
        "final_url": "https://abcnews.com/Politics/julian-assange-charged-18-count-indictment-wikileaks-disclosures/story?id=63234593",
        "title": "Julian Assange charged with violating Espionage Act in 18-count indictment",
        "publisher": "ABC News",
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      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/239"
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    {
      "id": 240,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 64,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Defense attorney warns of threat to journalism",
      "statement": "Assange's attorney said the unprecedented charges threatened all journalists engaged in similar reporting.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 215,
      "evidence_quote": "These unprecedented charges demonstrate the gravity of the threat the criminal prosecution of Julian Assange poses to all journalists.",
      "evidence_date": "2019-05-23",
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      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
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      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:08:15Z",
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    {
      "id": 241,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 64,
      "field": "status",
      "value": "Assange pleads guilty in 2024 deal",
      "statement": "Assange pleaded guilty to a single count under a 2024 plea agreement that ended the prosecution.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 216,
      "evidence_quote": "pleading guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified US national defense documents",
      "evidence_date": "2024-06-25",
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        "title": "WikiLeaks' Julian Assange to be freed after pleading guilty to US espionage charge",
        "publisher": "Gulf News",
        "published_on": "2024-06-25",
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  "license": {
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  "cite_as": "United States indicts WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under the Espionage Act. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-us-assange-espionage-act-indictment. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}