WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has released his testimony given to prosecutors at his Ecuadorean Embassy refuge in London, saying he's "entirely innocent" of a Swedish rape allegation.
As part of a 19-page statement released on Wednesday, Assange details his account of "consensual sex" with a woman known as SW in Sweden in August 2010 and denies she was asleep at the time.
The 45-year-old Australian says he's been subjected to "six years of unlawful, politicised detention without charge" and he's released the testimony so people can "know the truth about how abusive this process has been".
Assange gave his testimony before Ecuadorean and Swedish prosecutors last month in the embassy where he's been since mid-2012 after seeking political asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden.
Assange's mother speaks out six years after his arrest
Assange's mother, Christine Assange, told SBS News she spoke to her son four days ago and said "he's still fighting for his freedom".
She said her son's case and his continued residence in the embassy had left her with little faith in international politics.
"I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm grieving, but I'm also fighting," Ms Assange said.
"This has been difficult for Julian's family, but we all support him because he's done nothing wrong.
"But he will fight to the last breath."
Ms Assange said her son was the sort of committed "truth-telling journalist any democratic country would be proud to have", and she blamed the United States government for his continued arrest.
Assange's statement
A separate sexual assault allegation against Assange by another Swedish woman known as AA was dropped last year when it passed a statute of limitations time limit.
Assange also fears he could be extradited to the US and face a long jail term for WikiLeaks' release of secret US government security information.
In a 19-page statement, Assange attacks Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny who he says revived the rape allegation against him after he was cleared of the claims by Stockholm's chief prosecutor in 2010.
He links Ny's decision to Pentagon efforts in 2010 to close him down and US pressure on allies, including Sweden, to act against him following damaging WikiLeaks' releases.
"I do not believe that prosecutor Marianne Ny is acting in good faith or with the objectivity and impartiality required of her office," Assange said.
In his statement he included text messages sourced by Swedish police from SW's phone and shown to his lawyers, saying they proved their liaison was "clearly consensual sex".
Under Swedish law, sex with a person who is asleep constitutes rape but in the Assange testimony an SW text states "I was half asleep".
SW also reportedly texted that "JA did not want to use a condom" and that she was shocked when Assange was arrested because she only wanted him to take an STD test.
In his statement Assange said he was "certain" SW was not asleep.
"I was also certain she expressly consented to unprotected sex before such intercourse started."
Text messages to SW from AA reportedly state the pair ought to sell their stories and that a lawyer was negotiating that with Sweden's biggest tabloid.
According to the reported SW text messages she "did not want to put any charges on Julian Assange" but "the police were keen on getting their hands on him" and "made up the charges".
Assange said SW "made it very clear she wanted to have sexual intercourse with me" and had kissed him and placed his hands on her breasts at a Stockholm museum before inviting him home where they had sex four or five times overnight.
Assange said he could not believe it when five days later he saw a Swedish tabloid headline saying police were hunting all over Stockholm for him.
In February this year the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled Assange had been subject to unlawful detention entailing "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment", a ruling rejected by Swedish and UK authorities.
Swedish authorities will assess Assange's testimony before deciding whether to continue the investigation against him.
