Six lakh sign petition for WikiLeaks

Almost 600,000 people had signed an online petition in support of WikiLeaks, ahead of a second appearance in court in London by the whistle-blowing website's founder, Julian Assange.
The petition on campaigning website Avaaz calls on the US and other nations to "stop the crackdown on WikiLeaks and its partners immediately" and to respect "the laws of freedom of expression and freedom of the press".
WikiLeaks has been releasing thousands of confidential US diplomatic cables, causing huge embarrassment in Washington.
US President Barack Obama has denounced the leak as "deplorable" and various countries have tried to close down the site, sending it jumping from server to server in a bid to stay online.
Although the petition does not mention Assange, many supporters link the campaign against WikiLeaks to the allegations of sexual assault and rape made against the site's founder in Sweden.