The man who rocked the governments of several countries by making public a barrage of secret documents, WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange finds himself in a soup now.
The almost 40 Australian’s past (rather private) life is out in the open after two women accused him of sexual assault and some more joining in with their own list of accusations. To top it all, a WikiLeaks’ employee (who wishes to remain anonymous, naturally) has confirmed the two women’s charges, saying they went to the police only because Assange refused to go for an HIV test. The man who calls himself the “middleman” in Assange’s alleged sexual negotiations said he repeatedly told the internet activist to go for the test to save his head.
Reacting to the allegations of being a ‘promiscuous dictator’, Assange said in an interview, "I am not promiscuous, I just really like women." Well an honest answer, but really which man doesn’t. Whether Assange was wrong in involving himself with ‘so many’ women or whether all those women were stupid to get involved with him, this is a much debatable issue.
Assange, who is sometimes called the Robinhood of hacking, has opened the Pandora’s Box for the people in power and unsurprisingly, also for himself.
The numerous revelations by his website have attracted worldwide attention, making the internet activist the talk of the town in almost every country.
“I enjoy exposing people who abuse their power,” says the man who is being lauded for exposing state and corporate secrets, bringing in transparency and standing up for the freedom of the press. In fact, the long list of celebrities who have come out in his support seems to be growing with each passing day.
There are, however, also some who believe the famed hacker has embarked on a mission, but a mission that’s highly misguided. His critics question Assange’s selflessness and doubt the whistleblower website WikiLeaks’ philanthropic endeavour.
Whichever list may one belong to, be it his supporters or the critics, one can simply not ignore what the man has achieved within a short span of 4 years -- the power he asserts and the uproar he led to (he’s still the top news).
Assange’s global crusade, his ensuing arrest and his followers continuing work on his agenda even after his detention have also led to his comparison to something as absurd as the ‘anti-Christ’ (well everyone has the freedom of thought).
The year 2010 will be remembered as the one when a lot came out of the closet, the ‘spill the beans’ year for the world, thanks to the down under man. (Not to forget, 2010 being a period of uncanny disclosures in our own backyard and Assange had no hand in it.)
