٠٠:٠١:٣١WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was seen outside the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg on Tuesday, ahead of a hearing before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.
It marked his first public appearance since his release from prison in the UK and return to Australia, following a US plea deal earlier this year. Footage also shows his wife Stella and WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, with all three raising their fists in the air, before going inside.
Shouts of "The world is with you!" "WikiLeaks for a better world!" "Thank you for everything!" and "Welcome to France!" can be heard, while Assange is seen seemingly mouthing back: "Thank you."
The hearing will consider the human rights implications of his detention, while the committee has previously criticised Assange's treatment and called for the US to investigate revelations about alleged war crimes and human rights violations highlighted by the WikiLeaks organisation.
Assange was incarcerated for five years in Belmarsh prison, fighting extradition to the US, after being dragged from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after a seven-year standoff.
He was wanted in the US on 18 charges related to the release of classified documents involving the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and plead guilty to a single charge of espionage at a hearing in the Northern Mariana islands in June. He was sentenced to time served in Belmarsh and allowed to return home.
'The world is with you!' - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes first post-release public appearance to attend PACE in Strasbourg
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was seen outside the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg on Tuesday, ahead of a hearing before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.
It marked his first public appearance since his release from prison in the UK and return to Australia, following a US plea deal earlier this year. Footage also shows his wife Stella and WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, with all three raising their fists in the air, before going inside.
Shouts of "The world is with you!" "WikiLeaks for a better world!" "Thank you for everything!" and "Welcome to France!" can be heard, while Assange is seen seemingly mouthing back: "Thank you."
The hearing will consider the human rights implications of his detention, while the committee has previously criticised Assange's treatment and called for the US to investigate revelations about alleged war crimes and human rights violations highlighted by the WikiLeaks organisation.
Assange was incarcerated for five years in Belmarsh prison, fighting extradition to the US, after being dragged from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after a seven-year standoff.
He was wanted in the US on 18 charges related to the release of classified documents involving the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and plead guilty to a single charge of espionage at a hearing in the Northern Mariana islands in June. He was sentenced to time served in Belmarsh and allowed to return home.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was seen outside the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg on Tuesday, ahead of a hearing before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.
It marked his first public appearance since his release from prison in the UK and return to Australia, following a US plea deal earlier this year. Footage also shows his wife Stella and WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, with all three raising their fists in the air, before going inside.
Shouts of "The world is with you!" "WikiLeaks for a better world!" "Thank you for everything!" and "Welcome to France!" can be heard, while Assange is seen seemingly mouthing back: "Thank you."
The hearing will consider the human rights implications of his detention, while the committee has previously criticised Assange's treatment and called for the US to investigate revelations about alleged war crimes and human rights violations highlighted by the WikiLeaks organisation.
Assange was incarcerated for five years in Belmarsh prison, fighting extradition to the US, after being dragged from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after a seven-year standoff.
He was wanted in the US on 18 charges related to the release of classified documents involving the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and plead guilty to a single charge of espionage at a hearing in the Northern Mariana islands in June. He was sentenced to time served in Belmarsh and allowed to return home.