Julian Assange: A Timeline of Events

Julian Assange spent five years imprisoned in the UK. Now the co-founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblowing platform has been unexpectedly released. After years of legal tug-of-war, Assange negotiated a plea deal with the U.S. judiciary that allowed him to be freed and return to his native Australia. As part of the deal, Assange pleaded guilty to one count of espionage. In return, he is to be sentenced to five years in prison, which he has already served.

The Statista infographic provides an overview of the events surrounding Julian Assange since the publication of the classified U.S. documents in 2010. The Australian's troubles began in August 2010 when the public prosecutor's office in Stockholm, Sweden, opened an investigation into allegations of rape and harassment. Two women had accused Assange of sexual offenses, but the investigation has since been closed.

Although Assange was arrested, he was released on bail and, fearing extradition to the U.S. via Sweden, fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London in the summer of 2012, where he lived for the next seven years as a political asylum seeker. In April 2019, the new Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno revoked his asylum and citizenship, whereupon the whistleblower was arrested and sentenced to just under a year in prison for violating bail conditions. After serving this sentence, though, he remained in custody pending extradition. However, extradition to the U.S. was averted several times due to health concerns and international pressure.