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WikiLeaks’ Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Julian Assange, was just freed on bail by a British court today. He is expected to appear at another hearing on January 11th and will begin fighting extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted on charges of rape and sexual crimes. An attorney for Julian Assange, speaking to Al Jazeera on Sunday, said a secret grand jury has been convened here in the US, in Virginia, to discuss bringing criminal charges against Julian Assange. Attorney Mark Stephens said that Assange is entitled under Swedish and International law to be informed of any investigations or charges against him. A secret grand jury would violate these rights. The reaction of US officials and public figures to the latest WikiLeaks document dump of 250,000 diplomatic cables has been largely negative and increasingly aggressive. Writing in the Washington Times, Jeffery T. Kuhner said Assange is “aiding and abetting terrorists” and “the administration must take care of the problem – effectively and permanently.” This latest document dump has also garnered International criticism, even from his native country of Australia. Speaking to the British newspaper the Guardian, a lawyer for Assange said Australia had uncharacteristically failed to offer any assistance to a citizen facing an international barrage of questionable criminal charges. In reaction to their government’s inaction, an independent, grassroots Australian organization called GetUp! has started a campaign of public support for their fellow countryman. GetUp! raised enough money to buy a full-page ad for their cause in the New York Times, which will run soon. The group is also collecting signatures for a petition to President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder that denounces calls for violence against Assange and “detention with out charge.”

GUEST: Brett Solomon, former Executive Director of GetUp! Australia, now spokesperson for GetUp!

Find out more at: www.getup.org.au