For many Americans, he is a hero; for the US government, he is a criminal. This is after leaking secret US government documents exposing anything from torture to illegal NSA wiretaps by United States authorities to the public.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has now asked for political asylum in France. It came after the French government indicated that such asylum may be granted in the wake of revelations of alleged NSA surveillance of senior French officials.
His request was rejected today claiming Mr. Assange is still wanted by a fellow EU Country, Sweden.
Julian Paul Assange was born on 3 July 1971 and is an Australian computer programmer, publisher and journalist. He is known as the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, which he co-founded in 2006 after an earlier career in hacking and programming.
In 2012, facing extradition to Sweden, he sought refuge at the Embassy of Ecuador in London and was granted political asylum by Ecuador.
In an open letter to French President Francois Hollande published by Le Monde, the fugitive transparency activist said he is a victim of persecution by the US government over exposure of its human rights violations and controversial practices.
