Assange thanks Ecuador, asks Obama stop witch-hunt

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, holed in the Ecuadorian embassy asylum in London spoke toady for the first time since June, calling on US President Barack Obama to stop his “witch-hunt” against his whistleblowing website.

Assange spoke on the balcony of the embassy, with close to 50 London policemen waiting to arrest him if he stepped out.

“I ask President Obama to do the right thing, the United States must renounce its witch-hunt against WikiLeaks,” said Assange, making his first public statement since he was granted political asylum by Ecuador.

Assange praised the “courage” shown by the Latin American nation’s President Rafael Correa for granting him asylum.

“I thank President Correa for the courage he has shown in considering and in granting me political asylum,” Assange told journalists and a handful of his supporters gathered outside the embassy.

The 41-year-old Australian walked into the embassy two months ago after exhausting all legal avenues in Britain in his fight against extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sex crimes.

Assange claims the accusations against him are politically motivated and insists that the United States wants to put him on trial for divulging state secrets.

WikiLeaks enraged Washington by releasing video of a US attack in Iraq, as well as tens of thousands of classified US documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.