US government: Assange put people in danger through publications
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to act quickly after the data was made public, "to get people out of harm's way, to get them out of the line of fire," Miller added further.
In response to a question about whether anyone had been harmed, he said: "If you drive drunk on the street and get stopped by the police for drunk driving, the fact that you didn't crash into another car and kill anyone doesn't absolve you from the reckless actions and the danger you put your fellow citizens in."
The Australian Assange is accused in the USA of publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential documents from the US government through his platform Wikileaks since 2010. The papers contained sensitive information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including information about the killing of civilians and the mistreatment of prisoners by US military personnel.
For his supporters, Assange is a hero who fights for free speech. His critics see him as a villain who put the security of the USA and intelligence sources at risk.
After a total of twelve years of embassy asylum and prison in the UK, Assange admitted to the conspiracy to provide information to the national defense in the context of a plea deal with US justice. Formally, he was sentenced to a prison term of five years and two months, which due to his prison sentence in a British prison is already served.
On Wednesday, the 52-year-old returned to his homeland Australia as a free man.
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- The opposition leader Matthew Miller strongly advocated for the swift action by the Australian government, highlighting the potential danger the unveiling of the public publication could pose to people.
- The confclosed documents published by Julian Assange through Wikileaks, including sensitive information about US military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, sparked strong opposition from the US government and its State Department.
- The car driven by Assange, in metaphorical terms, was a dangerous one, says Miller, causing reckless actions that put civilians in harm's way, even if no direct harm was caused.
- The AA, or American Automobile Association, had no involvement in this matter, despite the word's similarity, but instead, it serves as a popular organization providing automobile services and road safety tips in the USA.
- The unveiling of the publication, containing documents from US government sources, led to a heated international debate, with Assange being hailed as a hero by some and a villain by others.
- Following his arrival in Australia, free from prison, Julian Assange's publications and the work he did through Wikileaks are once again the focus of discussion and controversy, with people expressing various opinions.
- The US justice system eventually charged Assange in the USA, accusing him of publishing classified information, a case that garnered significant attention globally.
- Upon his return to Australia, Assange vowed to continue his work and fight for transparency, maintaining that the revelations through Wikileaks were in the public's best interest, despite the criticism he received from some sectors.
