Julian Assange to make first appearance since being freed next week

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will make his first public appearance since being released from a British prison at a Council of Europe hearing next week.

Assange was released from prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose U.S. national defense information in June. The plea deal meant he would not serve any time in an American prison, and he has since returned to Australia.

Wikileaks announced the appearance on Wednesday, which will take place in France on Oct. 1. The hearing is related to a report from the Council of Europe that found Assange was a political prisoner, and called for the United States to look into whether he was exposed to inhumane treatment while in prison. 

The hearing will be conducted by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.

"It will be an exceptional break from his recovery as the [Council of Europe] invited Julian to provide testimony for the ... Committee’s report into his case and its wider implications," Stella Assange, Julian Assange's wife, said on X.

Stella Assange previously said her husband is recovering from the long imprisonment, and is taking time to reconnect with his wife and two children, according to Reuters.

The Wikileaks founder was originally indicted on 18 charges in 2019 that centered on his company's decision to release classified U.S. military documents that were provided by former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010 and 2011. The records consisted of thousands of pages of intelligence cables that included information about Guantanamo Bay detainees, the War in Afghanistan, and documents that could have endangered confidential U.S. sources.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.