Assange asks his supporters to step up campaign

Assange in a message through his mother, said he was determined to fight for the future of WikiLeaks.

"My convictions are unfaltering. I remain true to the ideals I have always expressed," he was quoted as saying by 'The Age' from Wandsworth Prison in London.

"We now know that Visa, Mastercard and Paypal are instruments of US foreign policy. It's not something we knew before. I am calling on the world to protect my work and my people from these illegal and immoral acts," he said.