The Wikileaks founders' family quickly set up a site to allow bitcoin donations after a previous crowdfunding page accepted only credit cards and bank transfers.
Updated Jun 27, 2024, 1:42 p.m. Published Jun 27, 2024, 1:40 p.m.
- Julian Assange's wife Stella earlier this week made an "emergency appeal" to raise £520,000 to cover the cost of a private jet for Julian Assange to travel from the UK to Saipan and then to Australia.
- One donor alone sent just over 8 bitcoin worth roughly $500,000.
- The WikiLeaks co-founder reached a plea deal with the U.S. DOJ, freeing him after several years of imprisonment in the UK.
WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange earlier this week received a donation of 8.07 bitcoin BTC$68,033.60 from one entity, helping to cover the cost of a private jet that flew him out of the UK and ultimately to freedom in Australia after he reached a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Initially, Assange's wife Stella made an "emergency appeal" to raise £520,000 to pay for the transport, setting up a crowdfunding page that allowed people to donate in fiat currency via credit cards or bank transfer. With that site notably not allowing crypto for donations, the family quickly moved to set up another page to accept bitcoin.
Up to this point, the bitcoin address has received 34 donations totaling just over $500,000. The overwhelming majority, however, came from just that one 8.07 BTC donation. The original fiat site has also received about $500,000 in donations.
"Julian’s travel to freedom comes at a massive cost: Julian will owe USD 520,000 which he is obligated to pay back to the Australian government for charter Flight VJ199," Stella Assange wrote on X. "He was not permitted to fly commercial airlines or routes to Saipan and onward to Australia. Any contribution big or small is much appreciated."
The jet was organized by the Australian government after Assange reached a historic plea deal on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to espionage charges in exchange for his freedom.
Bitcoin and Assange, of course, have a long history together, with Wikileaks more than 10 years ago surviving on bitcoin after the site was cut off from traditional banking rails. In a 2014 interview Assange said that WikiLeaks and bitcoin "kept each other alive."
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