LONDON — A heroic campaigner for openness, or an enemy of the US state trying to avoid justice: after a decade in the limelight, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains an evasive and polarizing figure. He was arrested in Britain in December 2010 on allegations of sexual assault and rape in Sweden, claims he strongly denied, saying they were politically motivated. Before the claims were dropped in 2017, Assange expressed fears that any extradition to Sweden could see his eventual transfer to the United States to face trial for the leaks. Assange did, however, find growing support among previous critics on the right wing and online supporters of Donald Trump. “He is well aware that I thought he was waging war on the United States,” said Fox News anchor and Trump favourite Sean Hannity.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer April 03, 2019 12:56 UTC