Silenced
October 24, 2011
WikiLeaks has been forced to suspend publishing classified documents and devote its time instead to "aggressive" fundraising, founder Julian Assange announced on Monday.
The whistleblowing website, which is largely financed by outsider donations, had its funding slashed after US firms including Visa, Ebay and MasterCard refused to process payments to the organization. The financial blockade dates back to December 2010 when the organization released sensitive US diplomatic cables.
"If WikiLeaks does not find a way to remove this blockade, given our current levels of expenditure we will simply not be able to continue by the turn of the year," Assange told a news conference in London.
WikiLeaks requires some 2.5 million euros ($3.5 million) over the next year in order to continue operating after the blockade. "The attack has destroyed 95 percent of our revenue," Assange added.
Fundraising for survival
Assange confirmed that WikiLeaks was taking legal action against the blockade which he claimed was politically motivated.
"The blockade came into force within 10 days of the launch of Cablegate as part of a concerted US-based, political attack that included vitriol by senior right-wing politicians, including assassination calls against WikiLeaks staff," Assange said.
The website prompted outrage amongst political leaders around the world after releasing some 250,000 confidential US government cables last year. Many related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while others contained appraisals of world leaders made by US diplomats.
After filing an anti-trust complaint at the European Commission, WikiLeaks said they expect a decision on whether the relevant authorities would investigate the blockade by mid-November.
Author: Charlotte Chelsom-Pill (AFP, Reuters, AP)
Editor: Ben Knight