As You Celebrate Your Freedom, Remember Julian #Assange
https://www.newsweek.com/assange-freedom-dissent-torture-1447756
By making him unlikeable in the eyes of the world, you ensure no one will feel any empathy, so once his voice is muzzled and his isolation complete, he can be burned at the stake with impunity. Most importantly, having degraded him to a clown for the entertainment of all, you will have diverted attention from his spotlight on your own crimes.