As Julian Assange enjoys his first weekend of freedom in years, there appeared to be no question in the mind of his wife, Stella, about what the family’s priorities were.

The WikiLeaks co-founder would need time to recover, she told reporters after they were reunited in his native Australia, after a deal with US authorities that allowed him to plead guilty to a single criminal count of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified defence documents.

What comes after that is one of the most intriguing questions for anyone familiar with how the site he founded in 2006 utterly changed the nature of whistleblowing. Will it return to its original mission?

James Harkin, the director of the London-based Centre for Investigative Journalism, (said) “In retrospect, it’s striking that everything WikiLeaks published was true – no small feat in the era of “disinformation” – but the tragedy is that much of its energy and ethos has now passed to blowhards and conspiracy theorists. Perhaps, in the light of our tepid new involvements in the Middle East and Ukraine, we need a new WikiLeaks.”

    • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      It’s insane the lies people will tell to defend a rapist. I don’t know why so many people are just fucking alright with rape if it’s ‘their guy’ doing it.

      The rape charges literally were not dropped by the person claiming it happened, but any lie is acceptable to defend a rapist, it would seem.

      • BeeDemocracy@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        Fact: there was only ever one rape allegation and it was brought by the cops. The alleged victim refused to sign the statement to police and never signed a version which was edited later. All names were then leaked illegally to the tabloid press before JA was questioned. Read Prof Nils Melzer’s well-researched book.

      • anticolonialist@lemmy.cafe
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        4 months ago

        Point out where he was charged with rape. Because if we’re basing an accusation of rape as actual rate then Biden is guilty of the exact same thing. Don’t assume that just because someone is critical of one white old senile piece of shit that they support the other white old senile piece of shit.

          • anticolonialist@lemmy.cafe
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            4 months ago

            Can you not even read? Preliminary investigation is not the same thing as charged. If that’s how we are defining charged, then again Biden has been charged with rape

            • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              I don’t play games with rape apologists, so you’re on your own from here on out.

              • anticolonialist@lemmy.cafe
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                4 months ago

                Tara Reid has entered the chat.

                you’re on your own from here on out.

                After saying it two times I doubt you are serious.

      • anticolonialist@lemmy.cafe
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        4 months ago

        He was accused of rape never charged with it. Kind of like Biden was. So if we’re holding that same standard up for assange you need to hold that same standard of rape for Biden

        • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Don’t pull a muscle reaching to defend a Russian asset accused of rape. But I’m curious what your next phase of rape apologia will be.

          “It didn’t happen”, “it was only investigated and not charged (because he fled the country)”, and now “well your guy was accused too” are all amazing choices lol, too bad they’re paper thin excuses.