On Jan. 4, a charitable crypto owner donated 8.48 bitcoins worth $280,000 to the international non-profit organization WikiLeaks. The donation was made in the defense of its founder Julian Assange as he was denied extradition to the U.S. Although, Assange is currently in a UK prison and could face charges of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 if extradited to the United States.
$280,000 in Bitcoin Donated to WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks has a history of attracting BTC donations from its early adopters sharing similar libertarian ideologies.
On Jan. 4 crypto transaction tracker Whale Alert tweeted that WikiLeaks wallet had received 8.48 BTC worth around $281,000 at the current market price.
On Dec. 30, another crypto user donated 4.51 BTC, a transaction worth $125,000. As of now the total amount of the wallet holds close to 20 BTC amounting to more than $600,000.
The donation comes on the same day a London court declared that Assange can’t be extradited to the U.S. due to his ongoing mental health issues.
The authorities in the United States are currently looking to extradite Assange following WikiLeaks revealing the classified military documents of the U.S. in October 2011.
Speculations Circling that Assange Might Be Pardoned
WikiLeaks and its founder continue to receive support from the crypto community. The platform initially started accepting crypto donations back in 2017 after the Freedom of the Press Foundation cut off funding access for WikiLeaks.
Activists then went on to establish the WikiLeaks Defence Fund as a way to defend its founder and other whistleblowers. Run by the Courage Foundation, the fund provides legal aid for journalists and other kinds of help in secret missions.
Meanwhile, there have been speculations running around social media that U.S. President Donald Trump might pardon Julian Assange before leaving office, although is not confirmed.
Even though bitcoin is largely uncensorable converting it into fiat is not. One can only wonder what kind of challenge Assange’s legal team might face while converting the Bitcoin funds to fiat.
