In his two-decade odyssey from Australian hacker to new-age media celebrity, hunted figure, perennial prisoner and finally, a free man, Julian Assange has always been easier to caricature than characterize.
The lack of an agreed-upon label for Mr. Assange — is he a heroic crusader for truth or a reckless leaker who endangered lives?
Whatever history’s judgment of Mr. Assange, his appearance Wednesday in a courtroom on a remote Pacific island, where he pleaded guilty to a single count of violating the U.S.
From the time he established WikiLeaks in 2006, Mr. Assange, 52, was a polarizing figure, using the internet to solicit and publish government secrets.
To others who feared the information he revealed could get people killed, he was destructive, even if there was never proof that lives were lost.
Persons:
Julian Assange, Assange —, Mr, Assange
Organizations:
. Espionage, WikiLeaks
Locations:
Afghanistan, Iraq