Julian Assange on WikiLeaks, Snowden and His New Bid for Freedom

“Democracy Now!” speaks to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he has lived as a political prisoner for more than two years, in what the show says is the first time a U.S. news program has entered his place of refuge.

Assange faces investigations in both Sweden and the United States. “Democracy Now!” introduces its update on Assange’s situation as follows:

In the United States, a secret grand jury is investigating WikiLeaks for its role in publishing a trove of leaked documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as classified State Department cables. In Sweden, Assange is wanted for questioning on allegations of sexual misconduct, though no charges have been filed. Late last week, there was the first break in the latter case in two years, when a Swedish court announced it would hold a hearing on July 16 about a request by his lawyers for prosecutors to hand over new evidence and withdraw the arrest warrant. In the first of a two-part interview, Assange discusses his new legal bid in Sweden, the ongoing grand jury probe in the United States, and WikiLeaks’ efforts to assist National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.

‘Democracy Now!’:— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.