US files 'conspiracy' charges against WikiLeaks founder

United States officials have announced that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had been charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. 

British police arrested frail-looking Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London on Thursday after his seven-year asylum there was ended by the country's authorities.

PressTV-WikiLeaks founder arrested in UK on behalf of US

UK police have arrested WikiLeaks founder JJulian Assange to face a US charge that he conspired to hack military computers.

US Justice Department announced in Washington shortly after Assange's arrest that the whistle-blower had been charged with conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to gain access to a US government computer.

The Australian-born Assange, 47, pronounced himself not guilty to the London court district judge Michael Snow, who called the whistle-blower a narcissist. 

PressTV-Assange 'exposed great crimes' by US: George Galloway

George Galloway says he is “shocked” that Julian Assange has been arrested, claiming a great crime has been committed against the Wikileaks founder.

Assange's lawyers warned that their client, who is computer programmer by profession, may risk torture and his life would be in danger if he were to be extradited to the United States.

"There is evident political persecution which started precisely with the massive publication by WikiLeaks in 2010 of cables and very serious information" which Assange had published, including a trove of classified Pentagon documents detailing alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq," Spanish lawyer Baltasar Garzon, who is coordinating Assange defense, said on Thursday.

"The threats against Julian Assange for political reasons, persecution on the part of the United States, are more current than ever," Garzon , who is a high-profile human rights investigator, added.

PressTV-'Assange arrest shows press freedom non-existent in West'

An American political analyst says Julian Assange’s arrest shows the US and EU do not respect press freedom.

Barry Pollack, an Assange lawyer, who had previously said pressing criminal charges for publishing truthful information was unlawful ,expressed concern about the impact of the charges filed against Assange. "Journalists around the world should be deeply troubled by these unprecedented criminal charges," Pollack said.

Russia: Assange's arrest is violation of freedom of speech

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described Assange's arrest as a violation of journalists' rights and freedom of speech.

"I think journalism organizations should have their say because the situation is unprecedented," she said, adding that Moscow will raise this issue in the international organizations.

Assange's arrest now paves the way for Assange’s extradition to the US and trial there for publishing classified US government documents.

His lawyers have previously warned that their client could face 35 years in prison or capital punishment in the US. 

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