By Maira Magro
In an interview with Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, says he has information about Brazil that could have “shaken the electoral pretensions of some people.” Assange refused to reveal that information and said he had been unable to publish it due to the recent release of such a large quantity of documents about Iraq.
The controversial creator of WikiLeaks says he has suffered growing pressures since the leak of information about the U.S. military. He told reporters last week that he is considering seeking asylum in Switzerland. In the interview with Estadão, he accused the United States of “banning press freedom,” citing the alleged creation of a list of 120 employees who could be sources for WikiLeaks, and the investigation of persons indirectly linked to the information leak. “Censorship is much more widespread and deep than society imagines,” he said.
One of the criticisms made by sympathizers of WikiLeaks is its excessive focus on content about U.S. military personnel, given that the site was founded with the view that all leaks should be made accessible to the public, regardless of size.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
