WikiLeaks former editor-in-chief Julian Assange has been in a UK prison for the past five years, and after a guilty plea agreement reduced his sentence to a term of imprisonment, news has surfaced that he will be set free. Subsequently, donations, including Bitcoin (BTC), have poured in, in preparation for his return to his home country.
Specifically, Assange, an Australian citizen, faces 18 charges for releasing a large number of classified documents and has been fighting against extradition to the United States. He currently owes the Australian government $520,000 for a charter flight to Saipan and his home country.
As a result, Assange’s family has been seeking funds from the public to cover these costs and support his recovery after spending time in a UK prison, as an agreement did not fully pardon him, and a cryptocurrency donation address has been set up for this purpose.
According to transaction data shared in a June 26th post by the Bitcoin Archive, shortly after this, someone paid over 8 bitcoins in a donation to the cryptocurrency wallet, which is worth nearly $490,000 at current prices, which should be enough to cover most of the costs he has incurred.
Donations of cryptocurrency have been increasing
Evidently, as the cryptocurrency industry continues to grow and evolve, it is becoming increasingly popular in mainstream, including when it comes to making donations for different causes. One example is political campaigns, such as the former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign.
As a reminder, in addition to publicly expressing support for the first cryptocurrency asset at an event at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Trump also announced that he would start accepting donations in the form of Bitcoin and other digital assets for his campaign, as reported by Finbold on May 9th.
Reportedly, this move has caused panic in the campaign team of his political rival, the current US President, Joe Biden, leading them to send a fundraising text to donors, warning them that “cryptocurrency executives and oil magnates are advising Trump.”
Recently, the Biden administration has had a surprising shift in attitude towards the cryptocurrency industry, with reports that his team has begun reaching out to key players in the cryptocurrency community to seek their insights and advice on future policy-making.