Embed

The Assange Story

WikiLeaks founder’s journey from whistleblowing hero to exile

Julian Assange has spent over a decade in the spotlight, pursued and loathed by the US government for revealing its darkest secrets. Through his brainchild, WikiLeaks, Assange has published millions of leaked classified documents and correspondence on America's wars, politicians, military and corporations.

Julian Assange at Ellingham Hall

Months after his dramatic removal from Ecuador's London embassy, Assange is set to begin his battle for freedom by contesting the attempt to extradite him. Washington wants to prosecute Assange under the Espionage Act, one of its most draconian laws. If extradited and convicted, the transparency advocate could face up to 175 years in a US prison.

WikiLeaks founder's removal from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London

Assange's anti-secrecy activities have recently been under the microscope, and his allegedly quirky personality became the subject of relentless media scrutiny. Assange is a divisive figure: a free-speech champion to some and a dangerous maverick to others.

However, little is known about Assange's personal life. For a broader perspective on Julian Assange, his inner thoughts and motivation, RTD correspondent Konstantin Rozhkov travelled the globe to meet his closest friends, father and former colleagues.

Julian Assange's father, John Shipton

John Shipton, his father, offers his take on Julian's formative years as a programming prodigy in Australia. British journalist, Vaughan Smith talks about hosting the WikiLeaks headquarters at his country mansion. A one-time Ecuadorian consul in London, Fidel Narvaez recalls the time he spent inside the embassy with the WikiLeaks founder and staffers. The filmmaker, Johannes Wahlstrom, talks about working with Assange on the Cablegate files.

Julian Assange in HMP Belmarsh in London

The Assange Story pieces together their accounts for an intimate portrait of the man behind the world's biggest anti-secrecy organization.

Subscribe to get stories the mainstream media ignores: Subscribe RTD's Youtube

WATCH TRAILER
Please rate this film

10.00(33 users)

Published: 24 February 2020 13:02

Duration

54:19

Tags
Watch this film in Russian

don't miss

26:33
Investigation 15 July 2023 12:00

Ukraine: Drug Testing Ground. Secret narcotic experiments take a toll on Ukrainian soldiers

26:33
Society 25 August 2014 00:00

Gender Madness. A Swedish blogger challenges the extremes of gender-free pedagogy

26:33
Human Rights 11 March 2016 00:00

Salam Alaikum Sweden. Testing the limits of Swedish generosity

26:33
Human Rights 29 June 2018 00:00

Testing Tolerance . Swedes are saying ‘enough’, to immigrant no-go zones, sharia law & gang rapes

26:33
Health 19 August 2019 00:30

Bad Blood . Decades on, victims of the UK’s contaminated blood scandal still seek justice

26:33
Human Rights 21 December 2016 00:00

Happy Never After. The couples battling UK visa laws to save their families.

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 26 February 2016 00:00

Once Upon A Crime. U.S. Police Brutality

26:33
Military and War 07 December 2016 00:00

The Coming War on China

26:33
Politics 14 July 2017 00:00

Soft Occupation. Investigating America’s influence on German politics

26:33
Personalities 13 July 2018 00:00

Breaking Bad Wolf . Why American cop and whistleblower Mark Dougan turned to Russia for sanctuary

26:33
Environment 29 September 2016 00:00

Murky Waters of Flint. How a whole city was poisoned

26:33
History 22 June 2022 21:30

World War II Leaders. The hidden side of the Big Three relations

26:33
History 27 September 2020 21:00

Nuclear X-Files . Soviet scientists and intelligence officers tell how they averted a nuclear war

26:33
Investigation 25 July 2016 00:00

Game of Drones. A new type of war crime that’s going unpunished

26:33
History 25 December 2020 20:00

Death Factories. Japan's secret Unit 731 – where biological warfare was conceived.

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 20 March 2023 12:00

US INVADERS: Iraq 20 years on. How America's Unsolicited Democracy Failed Iraq

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 24 July 2023 12:00

Biological Warfare Department. The Alarming Truth About Pentagon's Secret Worldwide Biolab Network

26:33
Investigation 16 January 2015 00:00

Reflections on MH17. Experts' opinions on the tragedy and its investigation

26:33
Investigation 29 June 2015 00:00

Back to Sleepy Hollow, Kazakhstan . Kalachi villagers are hit by the mysterious illness again

26:33
Society 05 July 2017 00:00

Congo, My Precious. The curse of the 'conflict minerals' in Congo

VIEWER’S CHOICE: 1,000,000 VIEWS AND MORE

VIEW ALL