WikiLeaks founder's mom demands apology from "out of step" Oz PM

Melbourne, Feb 4 (ANI): WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's mother, Christine, wants Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to make a full apology to her son amid growing international praise of his work.

Assange this week became only the third person in 14 years to be awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation's gold medal - an award previously given only to the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Japanese Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda.

The Sydney award was announced on the same day it was confirmed that Assange had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, The Age reports.

Christine Assange accused Gillard of being "out of step" with global opinion over her son and said she should apologise or face losing the support of voters.

The federal government has previously said both the initial leaking to WikiLeaks of confidential documents and the website's subsequent publishing were illegal.

Gillard has personally labelled the release of documents by WikiLeaks as "illegal and grossly irresponsible".

An Australian Federal Police investigation however found WikiLeaks had broken no domestic law.

"I really do think she (Gillard) could lose an election over this. It is a sign of a mature person to stand up and say: 'Okay I was wrong, I apologise, I was wrong about this person'. That's what she should be doing," Christine Assange told AAP on Saturday. (ANI)