Julian Assange’s dad thanks Putin for supporting his son

Julian Assange’s father expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview released Oct. 20 with Russian state-owned news agency Ria Novosti.

“Your President Putin in 2012 was the first head of state to defend Julian’s interests as a publisher and a citizen at a time when Julian was receiving every smearing lie and calumny that the institutions of state and those hangers-on in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia could deliver upon his head,” said John Shipton, extending his affection to Putin for playing that role.

Shipton, co-founder of Australia’s now-defunct WikiLeaks libertarian political party, is in Russia for the annual summit of the emerging BRICS group of economies that takes place this week.