Assange calls on President Obama to end the witch-hunt against Wikileaks
The founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange used the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy on Sunday to berate the United States for threatening freedom of expression and called on President Barack Obama to end what he called a witch-hunt against his whistle-blowing website.
Speaking from within the London mission to avoid arrest by British police who want to extradite him to Sweden for questioning over rape allegations, Assange said the United States was fighting a war against outlets like WikiLeaks.
Pitching himself alongside Russian punk band Pussy Riot and the New York Times newspaper, Assange said the United States risked shunting the world into an era of journalistic oppression.
“As WikiLeaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all of our societies,” Assange said, dressed in a maroon tie and blue shirt, flanked by the yellow, blue and red Ecuadorean flag.
“I ask President Obama to do the right thing: the United States much renounce its witch-hunt against WikiLeaks,” Assange said in a 10-minute speech which he ended with two thumbs up to the world's media.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a self-declared enemy of “corrupt” media and US “imperialism”, granted the former computer hacker political asylum last week, deepening a diplomatic standoff with Britain and Sweden.
Asylum in Ecuador marked the latest twist in a tumultuous journey for Assange since he incensed the United States and its allies by using his WikiLeaks website to leak hundreds of thousands of secret US diplomatic and military cables in 2010, disclosures that often embarrassed Washington.
Assange, 41, took sanctuary in the embassy in June, jumping bail after exhausting appeals in British courts against extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted in Sweden for questioning regarding allegations of rape and sexual assault against two women.
He says he fears Sweden will eventually hand him over to the United States where, in his view, he would face persecution and long-term imprisonment. The United States says it is not involved in the matter.
To allow Assange to avoid arrest by stepping outside the embassy, a balcony door on an upper floor was removed, leading up to his first public appearance since seeking refuge in the diplomatic mission two months ago.
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It is pretty funny to watch, tho i feel sorry all the poor deluded sycophants standing around the front of the embassy. Why support this man?. And i gess they're havn't looked too far into Ecuador's brilliant civil liberties. (retards)
When did Ecuador invade Iraq?! And are you really so indoctrinated that you can't see the difference between regulating Murdoch style corporate lie sheets and persecuting a website that tells the truth?
However this line “a dangerous and oppressive world, in which journalists fall silent under the fear of prosecution and citizens must whisper in the dark?” perfectly sums up Ecuador under Correa.
@3 Good morning to you too.
Aide explains who he is. “Well tell him to be a man and face his accusers in Sweden.”
Aide explains the situation with Ecuador. “Where?”
And so on and so forth.
Assange is really full of himself if he believes the US would lose one moments sleep over him, let alone persecute him.
By the way Assange, where is your proof that the USA is out to get you?
What a Farce! good luck getting him to Ecuador “a safe haven for crims”
the longer Assmange puts himself under house arrest the better, as his sentence if found guilty is yet to be served :) unless of course he plans on living out his life at an ecuadorian embassy, nice move, lets hope he never needs hospital treatment, or theres a fire or any threat to the building, or if ecuador sends their UK ambassador home, The UK will do likewise which im guessing The Ecudorian embassy will no longer be existent, rendering it British soil once again.
Whens the lease up on the building? does it need fumigating? any asbestos need removing?
Assmange clearly no mention of his sex case against him, funny how he left that out of his speech, one would of thought that would of been high on the messiahs agenda to clear his name and reassure his disciples that he is the chosen one and still “Holy than thou”, but no..........nothing!
@4 saddam threatened his neighbours with chemical weapons yet again, the same weapons he used on 3000 Kurds,Men women and children killing them, the war criminal gambled and he lost, we had the better hand! You say “invasion” as you would,we say “prevention” as it was, and look he hasnt killed anyone since has he “Bullsh1tting_Kirchnerist”? :)
Correa and Ecuador is the perfect dichotomy to Assange. I say let him go as he will never leave Ecuador, the country that persecutes oppostion media and fines them as musch as 42 million ( El Universo) and reporters can face 5 years in prison if el presidente deems an article defamatory. I say let the hypocrit go and face his new found and beloved country.
Assange is a pawn in Correa's plan. When he gets to Ecuador and thats a big if, in a short period of time he is assasinated or mysterously dies, only to blame to the Gringos......furthering the rage against the USA and even possibly permanently moving the press away for his doings in Ecuador.
Probably not.....but damn, all those SA's have conspiracy theories, we should too. lol
The worlds foremost political prisoner my arse, he is a gullible fool, taken advantage of by Mr Assange and now he is going to have to pay the consequences for it.
However treason is most difficult to prosecute here in the USA as defined by our constitution. As crazy as it sounds, proving treason here requires “two witnesses testifying they ssaw the accused perform an overt act against the country”.
He will be tried on espionage charges when they complete their investigation.
He has (allegedly) been paid a 6 figure sum to do this and been granted immunity from prosecution.”
This is the latest conspiracy theory.
I'm posting it on every thread just to annoy Guzz. :0D
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