Assange’s mother says ‘massive forces’ working against him

December 12, 2010 02:18 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 05:25 am IST - Melbourne

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s mother has said that she is worried about her son as “massive forces” are working against him and insisted that there is “no way” he is guilty of rape, which he is charged with in Sweden.

“These massive forces have decided they’re going to stop him and they’re not going to play by the rules,” Christine Assange was quoted as saying by the media here.

On charges of sexual assaults against her 39-year-old son in Sweden, she said: “Julian, rape, straight out of my guts - no way.”

“Julian would not rape,” she said.

“It’s a worry of course. I’m no different to any other mother,” Christine said. “Every time the news goes on, I’m glued to it. Is he OK?”

She also expressed her anger at the Australian government, particularly Prime Minister Julia Gillard who, she said, had just “gone in there full bore and accused him of being a criminal.”

“I just think, well hang on a minute, this is one of your citizens here,” she said. “You shouldn’t be leading the charge.”

Christine called her son a “brave” person and said “a lot of people would not be able to withstand the pressure he is under.”

Asked if she thought her son had been betrayed, she replied “At the moment, yes.”

Commenting on several rallies being organised in support of Assange, she said “he is very heartened by the worldwide response from just ordinary people“.

Assange, an Australian national, is currently in custody in London, facing extradition to Sweden. The assault charges against him relate to two separate incidents during his visit to Sweden in August.

He denies the charges and has vowed to fight the extradition.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.