Old friends are quickly becoming Julian Assange's new enemies.
The founder of the controversial whistleblower website WikiLeaks slammed British newspaper The Guardian for "selectively" publishing intimate details about his alleged sexual assaults against two women.
The newspaper was one of a handful given first access to secret U.S. documents in exchange for helping WikiLeaks edit the files.
"The leak of the police report to The Guardian was clearly designed to undermine my bail application," the 39-year-old Australian told rival newspaper The Times on Tuesday. "It was timed to come up on the desk of the judge that morning."
Assange, who is fighting extradition to Sweden - where he's wanted for questioning about rape and molestation allegations - blasted the timing of the leak, arguing it was given to the publication a day before his bail hearing last week.
Speaking in the third person, Assange added, "Someone in authority clearly intended to keep Julian in prison, and shopped [the report] to other newspapers as well."
Assange is out on bail and under house arrest in England. He is accused by two women of refusing to wear a condom during sex and being tested for STDs.
He has vehemently denied the charges, calling them a "smear campaign" against him and WikiLeaks for releasing top-secret documents.
He told The Times that the women were motivated by revenge, money and police pressure.
His lawyer, Bjorn Hurtig, has said he plans to lodge a complaint and demand that Swedish authorities investigate how classified material was leaked.
The Guardian has defended its coverage, arguing Assange was given several days to respond.
In editorial, the newspaper wrote it's "unusual for a sex-offense case to be presented outside of the judicial process in such a manner, but then it is unheard of for a defendant, his legal team and supporters to so vehemently and publicly attack women at the heart of a rape case."
Assange, who is fighting extradition to Sweden - where he's wanted for questioning about rape and molestation allegations - blasted the timing of the leak, arguing it was given to the publication a day before his bail hearing last week.
Speaking in the third person, Assange added, "Someone in authority clearly intended to keep Julian in prison, and shopped [the report] to other newspapers as well."
Assange is out on bail and under house arrest in England. He is accused by two women of refusing to wear a condom during sex and being tested for STDs.
He has vehemently denied the charges, calling them a "smear campaign" against him and WikiLeaks for releasing top-secret documents.
He told The Times that the women were motivated by revenge, money and police pressure.
His lawyer, Bjorn Hurtig, has said he plans to lodge a complaint and demand that Swedish authorities investigate how classified material was leaked.
The Guardian has defended its coverage, arguing Assange was given several days to respond.
In editorial, the newspaper wrote it's "unusual for a sex-offense case to be presented outside of the judicial process in such a manner, but then it is unheard of for a defendant, his legal team and supporters to so vehemently and publicly attack women at the heart of a rape case."
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/
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