Despite the ongoing sex crimes case, for which he was temporarily jailed ( a detention that "Saturday Night Live" spoofed), Assange insisted that WikiLeaks was still operating.
As recently as Friday morning, Afghan workers at the Defense Ministry were arranging transport for dignitaries and journalists to attend Saturday's ceremony at the detention center adjoining the Bagram Air Field, a U.S. base about an hour outside of the capital.
The reported detention follows a warning on Saturday by Mr Mugabe's spokesman of state action against journalists for "mis-reporting" on the cholera outbreak.