Julian Assange Senate Bid Ramps Up

[HuffingtonPost]

By Rob Taylor                

CANBERRA, April 2 (Reuters) - Fugitive WikiLeaks founder  Julian Assange, holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy for nine  months, has appointed a high-profile opponent of Britain's  monarchy to run his campaign for a seat in Australia's upper  house of parliament.                

Former Australian Republican Movement head and barrister  Greg Barns said on Monday he would be campaign director for the  WikiLeaks Party spearheading Assange's rare absentee bid for a  Senate seat in Australia's September 14 election, which even if  successful would not bring him any legal protection.                

"It's most definitely a serious campaign," Barns told  Australian radio. "He does attract support from across the  political spectrum. The party will offer a refreshing change  from the Australian government culture of secrecy."                

The former computer hacker, an Australian citizen, announced  last year he would run for the 76-seat Senate and would use the  protection of parliament to champion free speech and break court  suppression orders.                

Assange is considered a long shot to win a Senate seat as he  would need to attract about 15 percent of votes in the Victoria  state. If he wins, he would be able to take his seat from July  1, 2014, but would need to return to Australia to be sworn in.                

If he wins a Senate seat, he would be covered by Australia's  parliamentary privilege rules, which protect politicians against  legal action over comments made in parliament.                

Barns, a high-profile political campaigner at home, said  Assange's party had already secured backing from a prominent  Melbourne philanthropist -- former Citibank executive Philip  Wollen -- and needed 500 members to fulfill party registration.                

Assange struck a defiant tone in a recent interview, telling  Australian academic website The Conversation that he felt "no  fear" about the legal accusations against him.                

"Truth is I love a good fight. Many people are counting on  me to be strong. I want my freedom, of course. But confinement  gives me time to think," he said.                

Assange, 41, whose website angered the United States by  releasing thousands of secret diplomatic cables, took sanctuary  in Ecuador's embassy in London last June, jumping bail after  exhausting appeals in British courts against extradition to  Sweden for intercourseual assault allegations.                

The silver-haired Assange burst into global prominence in  2010 when Wikileaks released secret footage, military files and  diplomatic cables about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,  prompting a furious response from the United States.                                

(Editing by Michael Perry)

Via: HuffingtonPost