Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks who is currently being held in a London prison, has been named 'Rockstar of the Year' by Italy's Rolling Stone magazine. The 39-year-old graces the cover of the latest issue and appears bare chested sitting in front of a row of televisions each showing his face. The caption reads, "The Man Who Fell (From The Web) to Earth".
In announcing the award, Rolling Stone said that Assange was "the Angel of Death for every secret of those in power", before adding that while the Australian was not a musician he is "the person who best embodied rock'n'roll behaviour in 2010". The magazine went on to say that Assange's strategy of leaking confidential documents was "worthy of the best Marvel comics", and added that he was "a platinum villain who endangers the powerful of the planet, passing himself off as cyberpunk". The 39-year-old is wanted in Sweden on allegations of sexual harassment, however, several high-profile figures such as Michael Moore and Ken Loach have offered to pay the funds for his bail release.
This time last week, Italy's Rolling Stone dedicated its cover to the controversial Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.