UK police are outside the Ecuador embassy where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been holed up for 56 days seeking asylum <\/p>\n
WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange. Picture: AFP Photo\/Anthony Devlin Source: AFP <\/p>\n
WIKILEAKS co-founder Julian Assange has accused the federal government of blindfolding the Australian public over what it calls an unprecedented case of censorship. <\/p>\n
The whistleblower website has published an explosive Victorian Supreme Court suppression order, concerning a corruption case that involves former and current leaders of Asian nations. <\/p>\n
With this order, the worst in living memory, the Australian government is not just gagging the Australian press, it is blindfolding the Australian public, Mr Assange said in a statement. <\/p>\n
This is not simply a question of the Australian Government failing to give this international corruption case the public scrutiny it is due. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop must explain why she is threatening every Australian with imprisonment in an attempt to cover up an embarrassing corruption scandal involving the Australian Government. <\/p>\n
Julian Assange speaks to Meet The Press and News Ltd journalist Charles Miranda inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Picture: Ella Pellegrini Source: News Limited <\/p>\n
The gag order justifies suppressing the information on the grounds that it would prevent damage to Australias international relations and that it may damage the reputations of the other individuals who are not the subject of charges in the case. <\/p>\n
It also says the information may put national security at risk. <\/p>\n
The concept of national security is not meant to serve as a blanket phrase to cover up serious corruption allegations involving government officials, in Australia or elsewhere, Mr Assange said. <\/p>\n
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