Assange op-ed: WikiLeaks 'fearlessly' defending the public

SYDNEY: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in a newspaper opinion piece published Wednesday after his arrest in London, said the whistle-blowing website was "fearlessly" pursuing facts in the public interest.

In his commentary for The Australian newspaper, Assange made no mention of a legal case against him in Sweden over allegations of rape. He was due to appear in court after surrendering to British detectives Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Australian defended the controversial website's methods, and wrote that "not a single person, as far as anyone is aware, has been harmed" through its revelations.

Assange likened his campaign to the World War I reporting of Keith Murdoch, the father of media baron Rupert Murdoch, which excoriated British generals' management of the Gallipoli campaign in which thousands of Australians died.

"Nearly a century later, WikiLeaks is also fearlessly publishing facts that need to be made public," the WikiLeaks editor wrote.