According to CoinDesk, Julian Assange, the co-founder of WikiLeaks, was able to travel from the UK to Australia due to a significant donation of 8.07 bitcoin, equivalent to approximately $500,000. This donation was part of a fundraising effort initiated by Assange's wife, Stella, who made an 'emergency appeal' to raise £520,000 to cover the cost of a private jet for Assange's journey.
Stella initially set up a crowdfunding page that accepted donations in fiat currency via credit cards or bank transfers. However, as the site did not accept cryptocurrency, a separate page was quickly established to accept bitcoin donations. To date, the bitcoin address has received 34 donations, totaling just over $500,000. The majority of this sum came from a single donation of 8.07 BTC. The original fiat site has also received about $500,000 in donations.
The funds were used to cover the cost of a private jet, organized by the Australian government, to transport Assange to Australia. Assange was not permitted to fly commercial airlines or routes to Saipan and onward to Australia. The plea deal Assange reached with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) required him to plead guilty to espionage charges in exchange for his freedom.
Bitcoin and Assange have a long history together. Over a decade ago, WikiLeaks survived on bitcoin after the site was cut off from traditional banking rails. In a 2014 interview, Assange stated that WikiLeaks and bitcoin 'kept each other alive.'