You Know Who Likes WikiLeaks? Fidel Castro.

An editorial yesterday in the LA Times called “Fidel Castro, Internet Junkie” says the 84-year-old Cuban reads 200 to 300 online articles a day, and “is fascinated by WikiLeaks”.

The LA Times article is based on an lengthy interview Castro did with the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, where he reportedly said that the Internet, “has put an end to secrets…. We are seeing a high level of investigative journalism, as the New York Times calls it, that is within reach of the whole world.” He also said that the Internet is, “the most powerful weapon that has existed.”

Castro, however, isn’t just an Internet consumer – he’s also apparently a prolific blogger (one of about only 300 in Cuba according to the LA Times). So now you know.

(Note: Isolated Cuba does not have a fiber-optic connection to the rest of the world, and must rely on old underwater telephone lines and for satellite-based broadband to connect to the Internet. The LA Times editorial says that estimates put Cuba’s Internet penetration of between 2.6% -13% of the population depending on whether its based on international (the 2.6%) or Cuban government statistics (the 13%). Either way, Cuba has by far the lowest percentage of Internet users of any nation in the Western Hemisphere. Those that do have access face censorship and restriction as well.)