London: Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, lambasted the US on Sunday from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy in London, challenging President Barack Obama to end what he called a witch-hunt against WikiLeaks.
Assange said the United States was fighting a war against outlets like WikiLeaks.
He said the United States risked shunting the world into an era of journalistic oppression, Reuters reported.
He said: “As WikiLeaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all of our societies.
“I ask President Obama to do the right thing: the United States must renounce its witch-hunt against WikiLeaks.”
He ended his 10-minute speech 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.
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.
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