WikiLeaks Founder Accepts Australian Peace Award in London

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accepted an award at the Frontline Club in London on Tuesday. It was presented by the Sydney Peace Foundation.

It awarded him the gold Medal of Honor for what it calls his „exceptional courage in pursuit of human rights.“

Assange’s Web site, WikiLeaks, has made headlines for posting confidential diplomatic communications between countries… and exposes secret, and often controversial, communications between governments.

[Mary Kostakidis, Chair, Sydney Peace Foundation]:
„It is my great, great pleasure to present you with the Sydney peace medal, for your conviction that truth matters and that justice depends on it… and for your courage, leadership and tenacity in journalism and publishing.“

The organization says the award was made in recognition for the need for greater transparency and accountability of governments.

Assange, who is currently fighting extradition to Sweden on sex allegations, was not able to travel to Sydney to accept his honor due to his strict bail conditions.

[Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder]:
„The real value of this award from the Sydney Peace Foundation is that it makes implicit the link between peace and justice. It does not take the safe, feel-good, option of shunning controversy by uttering platitudes. Instead it goes into difficult terrain by identifying organizations or individuals who are directly engaged in struggles of one kind or another.“

He used the occasion to issue his trademark swipe at the mainstream media.

This time highlighting his anger at the American government’s efforts to charge WikiLeaks with espionage and the setting up of various task forces to monitor the organization’s work.

[Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder]:
„No. It is not funny that there is a dedicated CIA task force into our organization.“

Sydney Peace Foundation director Stuart Rees says Assange is paving the way for a more transparent world.

[Stuart Rees, Director, Sydney Peace Foundation]:
„We think that the struggle for peace and justice inevitably involves conflict, inevitably involves controversy. If it was a sort of stumbling towards some kind of consensus, nothing would ever happen. Now, in that respect, we think that you and WikiLeaks have bought about what we think is a watershed in journalism and in freedom of information and potentially in politics.“

Assange says WikiLeaks is currently struggling against unprecedented waves of attacks on its sites.

Foto: NTD