J. Assange revealed that he was released duo to a guilty of journalism plea

Wikileaks founder Assange speaks for the first time since his release

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said on Tuesday that he was released after years of imprisonment only because he pleaded guilty to journalism, describing it as a pillar of a free society.

Assange spent nearly 14 years locked up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid arrest and then in Belmarsh prison in the British capital. He was released in June after serving his sentence for releasing hundreds of thousands of confidential US government documents.

"I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism," Assange told the Council of Europe's rights body at its headquarters in Strasbourg.

It was his first public statement since his release. His wife, Stella, who fought for his release, was at his side.

Assange said that journalism is not a crime but a pillar of a free and informed society

"Journalists should not be judged for their work," he told a meeting of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly's (CoEPA) legal committee.

Many of the confidential documents released by Wikileaks included the US State Department's frank profiles of foreign leaders, reports of extrajudicial killings and intelligence gathering against allies. J. Assange said his case gives an insight into "how powerful intelligence organizations carry out international repression" against their enemies, adding that this "cannot become the norm."

J. Assange's case continues to be the subject of intense global debate

Supporters hail him as a defender of freedom of expression and say he has been persecuted by the authorities and unjustly imprisoned.

US President Joe Biden has called Assange a "terrorist". Assange is still seeking a presidential pardon for his conviction under the Espionage Act.

Based on ELTA reports