With the arrest of Julian Assange on April 11, 2019 from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, the Wau Holland Foundation («WHS») board of directors decided to collect donations towards the legal defense against the U.S. extradition request. The Foundation takes the view that the trial against Julian Assange should be seen as a test case for freedom of the press and freedom of information. As such, the work in this context is relevant to one of the Foundation’s core tasks (freedom of information), as defined in its statutes.
In the years 2019 to 2021, costs incurred were covered proportionately by advances from the WHS and earmarked donations (bank transfers and PayPal). In February 2022, the WHS received a large donation of 16,593 ETH, which was raised by the AssangeDAO for the purchase of an NFT and donated to the Foundation by the digital artist Pak. With these extra funds, the Foundation was able to support and coordinate Julian’s extensive legal defense and the associated public relations work; in addition, it was possible to compensate for advances made by the Foundation.
In accordance with the specifications of the tax office, the ETH account is treated as a foreign currency account. The ETH funds were converted into EUR via the company Bity in Switzerland at the current exchange rate, as and when needed. Incoming funds (in EUR) from exchange activities were transferred by Bity directly to the project account DE62 5204 0021 0277 2812 07 of the WHS, and accounted as (donation) receipts; in parallel, a separate ETH account is maintained.
The WHS’s own costs (e.g. travel, expenses, IT infrastructure and office costs) are covered by the reserve of 5% of donations received and are not itemized separately in this report.
By resolution of the board of directors, this project is to be brought to a close on July 31, 2024. At this point in time, the WHS is not yet able to present the final accounts because outstanding invoices will not be available until mid-August, and the WHS has to clarify the possible continuation of some of the work with lawyers. Only then can a final transparency report be presented.
