Assange says his convictions have not been shaken by his incarceration

MELBOURNE - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is fighting against his extradition to Sweden, has declared from his London cell that his convictions have not been shaken by his imprisonment.

He has also accused global giants Visa, MasterCard and PayPal of being “instruments of US foreign policy” after they severed links with WikiLeaks since it began publishing its trove of about 250,000 secret US diplomatic cables.

The accusation came in a statement passed on by Assange’s mother Christine ahead of the Australian’s appearance at an extradition hearing in London.

In a statement delivered to the Sunshine Coast Daily newspaper by Assange, the WikiLeaks founder told his supporters to keep on fighting.

“My convictions are unfaltering. I remain true to the ideals I have always expressed,” the Courier Mail quoted him as saying.

“These circumstances shall not shake them. If anything, this process has increased my determination that they are true and correct.

“I am calling on the world to protect my work and my people from these illegal and immoral acts,” he said.

Swedish authorities want to question Assange over allegations of rape and molestation made against him by two women in relation to incidents during his visit there in August. (ANI)