Jemima Khan fights for arrested WikiLeaks founder

London : Jemima Khan, the former wife of Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan and British heiress and socialite charity fundraiser, offered her support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who has been arrested in London for alleged sex crime in Sweden.

“I offered my support, as I believe that this is about the universal right of freedom of information and our right to be told the truth,” tweeted Jemima Khan who on Tuesday tried to secure the release of Julian Assange on bail after his arrest, but failed.

“I make no judgment of Julian Assange as an individual as I have never met him,” Khan said.

“I was just in court to provide surety in case bail was granted to Julian Assange of WikiLeaks. It wasn’t,” she said.

According to British media, Jemima Khan, film director Ken Loach and journalist John Pilger each offered ?20,000 to secure the release of Julian, but the court refused to release him ahead of an extradition hearing over allegations of sex offences in Sweden.

Jemima Marcelle Khan, who was seeing actor Hugh Grant earlier, was saddened by the failure to get Julian out in bail.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was denied bail by a British judge on Tuesday after the former surrendered to London police in connection with the alleged sex crime in Sweden.

The whistle-blowing website founder was refused bail after the judge said that he had “substantial grounds” to believe that Assange would not turn up for further proceedings.

Assange has been placed under custody ahead of his extradition hearings, which the 39-year-old Australian has said he intends to fight.

Swedish police had earlier sent out a lookout for Assange after two WikiLeaks workers had accused Assange of ?rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion?. The Interpol too had joined the lookout and issued a Red Notice against him.

The legal actions came in wake of a massive expose by Assange?s international publishing service for whistle-blowers which left the American administration egg-faced.

Defying disapproval of the White House, WikiLeaks, on Nov 28, had released nearly 250,000 diplomatic cables from U.S. embassies across the world from the past three years uncloaking the backroom bargains of world leaders and insight into their fears as well as the concerns of USA.