RT Editor-in-Chief Proud Of Praise For Ruptly's Unbiased Reporting From Assange's Mother

Sputnik and RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan is proud of praise that the Ruptly video agency, which is a project of the RT broadcaster, received from the mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for its unbiased coverage of her son's case

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Sputnik and RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan is proud of praise that the Ruptly video agency, which is a project of the RT broadcaster, received from the mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for its unbiased coverage of her son's case.

"Thank you Barnaby [Nerberka, Ruptly's UK field producer] & @Ruptly for always being there to report fairly on my son," Christine Assange said on Twitter on Tuesday, replying to Nerberka's post with Ruptly's exclusive video showing Julian Assange being transported from Westminster Magistrates Court following a hearing on his possible extradition to the United States.

"Julian Assange's mom is thanking the guys from our video agency," Simonyan wrote on Telegram, attaching a screenshot of that reply.

Assange, who was initially accused of sexual harassment and rape in Sweden in 2010, was in hiding at the Ecuadorian embassy in London from 2012 to 2019.

In April, UK police entered the embassy to arrest the WikiLeaks founder, and he was eventually sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching bail conditions.

Ruptly was the only media outlet that filmed the moment of Assange's arrest in April, while no representatives of any other media were present near the embassy at the moment.

In May, the US Department of Justice indicted Assange on 17 additional charges under the Espionage Age and demanded his extradition. If convicted of these charges, the WikiLeaks founder faces up to 175 years in prison. Then-UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid approved the extradition request, stating that he did not believe Assange would face death or torture if extradited.