RNW, 14 December 2010
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday blasted Visa, MasterCard and PayPal for blocking donations to his website, in a statement from behind bars to Australian television.
"We now know that Visa, MasterCard and PayPal are instruments of US foreign policy. It's not something we knew before," he said in a statement to Channel 7 dictated to his mother Christine Assange for the station.
"I am calling on the world to protect my work and my people from these illegal and immoral acts."
Assange said he was more determined than ever to publish thousands of sensitive documents on his whistleblowing website which has sent shockwaves around the world with the release of confidential US diplomatic cables.
"My convictions are unfaltering. I remain true to the ideals I have expressed," Australian-born Assange, 39, said in the brief statement.
"These circumstances shall not shake them. If anything, this process has increased my determination that they are true and correct."
Assange's mother has travelled to London to be with her son, where he is accused of sexual assault alleged to have taken place in Sweden.
While Christine Assange was not able to see her son face-to-face, he spoke to her on the telephone for 10 minutes, telling her that he was being kept in solitary confinement, Channel 7 said.
It was the first time the pair had talked since the former hacker surrendered to British police on December 7 after Sweden issued a European warrant for his arrest so that he can be questioned on rape allegations.
Christine Assange said her son, who was due to face court again later Tuesday, had been heartened by the messages of support he had received.
"As a mother I am asking the world to stand up for my brave son," she told Channel 7.
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WikiLeaks, web to revolutionize reporting: Pilger
“Revelations on the WikiLeaks website which have enraged governments around the world should force the traditional media to rely less on official sources, award-winning journalist John Pilger said.” - (Reuters)
“If Wikileaks didn't exist and these documents were being published by the newspapers alone would anyone really be calling for the imprisonment of those responsible? Wikileaks is simply a new player in the game, offering to host and publish stories and documents that embarrass those in power. On balance, that's a good thing.” (Spectator)
U.S. Air Force blocks NY Times and Guardian over WikiLeaks
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