Julian Assange facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julian Assange
Assange in 2014
Born	Julian Paul Hawkins (1971-07-03) 3 July 1971 (age 53) Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Citizenship	Australia Ecuador (2017–2021)
Occupation	Editor publisher activist
Years active	1987–present
Known for	Founding WikiLeaks
Title	Director and editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks (2006–2018); publisher (since 2018)
Political party	WikiLeaks (2013–2015)
Spouse(s)	Teresa Assange ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 1999)​ Stella Assange ​ ​ (m. 2022)​
Awards	Full list
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Julian Paul Assange (born 3 July 1971) is an Australian computer expert, publisher, and journalist. He is famous for creating WikiLeaks in 2006. WikiLeaks is a website that shares secret documents and news leaks with the public.

Early Life and Education

Julian Paul Assange was born on 3 July 1971 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. His mother was Christine Ann Hawkins, an artist. His father was John Shipton, an anti-war activist. His parents separated before he was born. When Julian was one year old, his mother married Brett Assange. Julian considers Brett his father and took his last name. Christine and Brett Assange divorced around 1979.

Julian moved often as a child. By his mid-teens, he had lived in over 30 Australian towns. He went to many schools, including Goolmangar Primary School and Townsville State High School. He was also homeschooled.

He studied programming, mathematics, and physics. He attended Central Queensland University and the University of Melbourne. However, he did not finish a degree.

Beginning His Career

In 1987, at age 16, Assange began exploring computer systems. He used the name Mendax. He and two friends, "Trax" and "Prime Suspect", formed a group called "the International Subversives".

In 1991, the group looked into MILNET, a secret data network used by the US military. Assange later said they had control over it for two years. They also explored systems at Australia's National University. In 1994, Assange was charged with 31 computer-related crimes. In 1996, he pleaded guilty to 24 charges. He was ordered to pay A$2,100 and was released. He received a lighter punishment because he did not intend to cause harm or make money.

Assange, around 2006

Assange started programming in 1994. In 1998, he helped start a company called Earthmen Technology.

Founding WikiLeaks

Assange at "New Media Days 09" in Copenhagen, November 2009

Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg at the 26C3 in Berlin, December 2009

Assange and others started WikiLeaks in 2006. Assange became a member of its advisory board. He described himself as the editor-in-chief. From 2007 to 2010, Assange traveled a lot for WikiLeaks. He visited Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

During this time, WikiLeaks published many secret documents. These included internet censorship lists and classified media. They came from anonymous sources. Assange became very well known in 2010. This was when WikiLeaks published a series of leaks from US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

These leaks included video footage of a US airstrike in Baghdad. They also included US military logs from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Additionally, they published US diplomatic cables.

By July 2015, Assange said WikiLeaks had published over ten million documents. He called it "a giant library of the world's most persecuted documents." The U.S. government created a task force to study the impact of WikiLeaks' publications. Reports from this group said the leaks could cause "serious damage." They also said the leaks could put foreign US sources at risk.

Time in the Ecuadorian Embassy and Arrest

In November 2010, Sweden issued an arrest warrant for Assange. They wanted to question him in an investigation. After losing his appeal against the warrant, he broke his bail conditions. He sought safety in the Embassy of Ecuador in London in June 2012.

Ecuador granted him asylum in August 2012. This was because he feared political persecution and being sent to the United States. On 11 April 2019, Ecuador ended his asylum. This happened after disagreements with Ecuadorian officials. Police were invited into the embassy, and he was arrested.

After his arrest, the US revealed an indictment from 2018. It charged Assange with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. This was related to his involvement with Chelsea Manning and WikiLeaks.

Recent Events

In May 2019 and June 2020, the U.S. government announced new charges against Assange. They accused him of breaking the Espionage Act of 1917. They also claimed he had worked with other computer experts. Assange was held in HM Prison Belmarsh in London from April 2019 to June 2024. This was while the United States government tried to have him sent to the US.

In June 2024, Assange reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors. He pleaded guilty in the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. The charge was conspiring to get and share classified U.S. national defense documents. This was done to avoid possible imprisonment. As part of the deal, prosecutors asked for a sentence that would allow him to be released right away. He was also told to make WikiLeaks destroy the information given by Manning. Assange immediately left Saipan for Canberra, Australia. He traveled with former Australia prime minister Kevin Rudd.

Writings and Public Appearances

In 2012, Assange hosted a show called World Tomorrow. It was broadcast by the Russian network RT. Assange's book When Google Met WikiLeaks was published in 2014.

Personal Life

As a teenager, Assange married Teresa. In 1989, they had a son named Daniel. The couple separated and had a legal dispute over Daniel until 1999.

In 2015, Assange started a relationship with Stella Moris, his lawyer. They were married on 23 March 2022. They have two sons.

Honours and Awards

Works

Filmography

As himself

• The War You Don't See (2010)
• The Simpsons (2012) (cameo; episode "At Long Last Leave")
• Citizenfour (2014)
• The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014)
• Terminal F/Chasing Edward Snowden (2015)
• Asylum (2016)
• Risk (2016)
• Architects of Denial (2017)
• The New Radical (2017)
• The Fifth Estate

Images for kids

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  Demonstration in support of Assange in front of Sydney Town Hall, 10 December 2010

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  Assange speaks on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral in London, 16 October 2011.

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  Assange on the balcony of Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012

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  Ecuadoran foreign minister Ricardo Patiño met with Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy on 16 June 2013.

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  Demonstration outside the Ecuadorian embassy to free Assange, 16 June 2013

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  Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned as DNC chairwoman following WikiLeaks releases suggesting bias against Bernie Sanders.

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  Rafael Correa, who was openly sympathetic to Assange, served as President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017.

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  Stella Moris with supporters leaving the High Court in January 2022

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  The travelling art installation Anything to Say? by Davide Dormino featuring bronze sculptures of Assange, Snowden, and Manning standing on chairs in Berlin on May Day 2015

See also

In Spanish: Julian Assange para niños