JULIAN Assange has reportedly hired Sydney lawyers to pursue a defamation case against Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Mr Assange has told left-leaning activist group GetUp! that Ms Gillard defamed WikiLeaks when she allegedly told a radio station in 2010 he had broken the law by releasing hundreds of thousands of US diplomatic cables, according to a statement released by the group.
"I have hired lawyers in Sydney and they are investigating the different ways in which we can sue Gillard over this statement," Mr Assange told GetUp!
In late 2010, Ms Gillard said of the WikiLeaks release: "I absolutely condemn the placement of this information on the WikiLeaks website. It's a grossly irresponsible thing to do and an illegal thing to do."
In a GetUp! video, Mr Assange says Ms Gillard's statement was used by Mastercard this year as justification for blocking its Australian cardholders from donating to WikiLeaks.
"The effects of this statement are ongoing and they directly affect the financial viability of Wikileaks," Mr Assange said. "We are considering suing for defamation so I have hired lawyers in Sydney."
An email from a Mastercard executive, reported by the ABC, says "The decision to suspend acceptance to Wikileaks was MasterCard's alone. Given the serious nature of the allegations and some of the public comments by senior elected officials from around the world (including the Australian Prime Minister and the then Attorney-General who indicated that there were questions about the legalities of Wikileaks activity) we believed it was prudent to suspend acceptance."
Mr Assange is holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London after seeking asylum as part of a bid to fight extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over rape allegations.
Mr Assange also rejected claims by Foreign Minister Bob Carr that he was receiving full consular support.
"When there are statements made that there are 63 consular contacts, they are counting emails that they send my lawyer asking for some future possible appointment," he said.
"I haven't seen any member of the Australian embassy or consulate since I was in prison in 2010. And even then, all they did was bring some notepads, pens, et cetera," he told GetUp!
Mr Assange said his family had changed their names and gone into hiding because of his situation.
"I can't go and visit my family, I can't do things that are important for many people - I can't see the skyline, I can't visit my homeland," he said.
GetUp! is reportedly putting together a campaign calling on the Australian government to seek a commitment from the US that it will not try to extradite Mr Assange.
No comments:
Post a Comment