Assange Writes an Autobiography
Published in Vecernji
(Croatia) on 26 December 2010
by Sergej Županić (link to original)
The editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, needs €1.2 million to keep the website afloat. He stated that Visa, MasterCard and PayPal ceasing to process donations is unconstitutional. According to him, this is how the U.S. imposes censorship.
The editors of WikiLeaks were aware of the battle they were entering uncloaking American foreign policy.
The editor-in-chief of the whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has signed a deal for his autobiography to be published in order to earn money to defend himself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.
“I don’t want to write this book, but I have to,” Mr. Assange told the Sunday Times, explaining that his legal costs have reached £200,000 after allegations of sexual misconduct in Sweden. He also needs to earn money to keep WikiLeaks afloat, which is threatened with censorship by financial monsters after the release of American diplomatic cables.
Assange is expecting to earn €1.2 million from his autobiography — $800,000 from a deal with the American publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, £325,000 from one with Canongate Books in Britain and a number of small sums from similar deals.
Calls to Assassinate Assange
After the State Department heavily criticized WikiLeaks’ latest move, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that they will demand Assange’s extradition from Britain because of espionage. A few well-known American politicians have even called for his liquidation.
Meanwhile, Visa, MasterCard and PayPal have ceased cooperation with WikiLeaks and have stopped processing donations. As for that, Assange told Le Monde, The Guardian and Der Spiegel in an interview that it is very interesting to see how censorship works in Western countries.
“War Chest”
According to Assange — who did not know of the blockade of his website until he was let out on bail — this is a matter of economic censorship, which is unconstitutional.
That is to say, WikiLeaks has not been taken to court, and Assange is not even officially charged with espionage in the U.S. WikiLeaks used to get small donations for its work via MasterCard, Visa and PayPal from all over the world. When the first cables of the U.S. State Department were released, the donations rose to €100,000 a day. As for this “war chest,” Assange stated that the editors had been aware of the battle they were entering when they started running WikiLeaks, and that expenses continue to pile up.
Assange also claimed that because of him, a secret jury has been set up in Alexandria, Virginia. Bradley Manning, a young whistle-blower who is being kept in a U.S. jail because he leaked confidential documents to WikiLeaks, is being urged to testify against Assange so that the latter can be charged with espionage. In turn, he would be granted amnesty. Assange, however, stated that he never had direct contact with Manning and that the U.S. is now looking to accuse him of breaking the data security and anti-terrorism laws.
Fear of Death in U.S. Jail
If claiming his extradition, the U.S. will have problems proving that this is not a politically motivated move, Assange said. He added that there is a high possibility he will be assassinated in jail if he is to be extradited to the U.S., which he thinks is indicated by calls of American politicians for his liquidation. He also said that the only protection from extradition is the opinion of the British public, since this is what influences the Cameron administration. Consequently, Assange expects himself and WikiLeaks to be discredited via the media. The New York Times, however, has published new cables concerning the fight against drug cartels in Latin America. The documents reveal that the Paraguay and Panama administrations have asked U.S. officials to extend wiretapping to their political opponents, because they think that this would help the DEA fight drug cartels. They also say that the other 63 countries hosting DEA offices demand the same for themselves. Other cables, meanwhile, reveal that Mexican officials and the Guinean government are involved in the drug business.
The editors of WikiLeaks were aware of the battle they were entering uncloaking American foreign policy.
The editor-in-chief of the whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has signed a deal for his autobiography to be published in order to earn money to defend himself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.
“I don’t want to write this book, but I have to,” Mr. Assange told the Sunday Times, explaining that his legal costs have reached £200,000 after allegations of sexual misconduct in Sweden. He also needs to earn money to keep WikiLeaks afloat, which is threatened with censorship by financial monsters after the release of American diplomatic cables.
Assange is expecting to earn €1.2 million from his autobiography — $800,000 from a deal with the American publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, £325,000 from one with Canongate Books in Britain and a number of small sums from similar deals.
Calls to Assassinate Assange
After the State Department heavily criticized WikiLeaks’ latest move, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that they will demand Assange’s extradition from Britain because of espionage. A few well-known American politicians have even called for his liquidation.
Meanwhile, Visa, MasterCard and PayPal have ceased cooperation with WikiLeaks and have stopped processing donations. As for that, Assange told Le Monde, The Guardian and Der Spiegel in an interview that it is very interesting to see how censorship works in Western countries.
“War Chest”
According to Assange — who did not know of the blockade of his website until he was let out on bail — this is a matter of economic censorship, which is unconstitutional.
That is to say, WikiLeaks has not been taken to court, and Assange is not even officially charged with espionage in the U.S. WikiLeaks used to get small donations for its work via MasterCard, Visa and PayPal from all over the world. When the first cables of the U.S. State Department were released, the donations rose to €100,000 a day. As for this “war chest,” Assange stated that the editors had been aware of the battle they were entering when they started running WikiLeaks, and that expenses continue to pile up.
Assange also claimed that because of him, a secret jury has been set up in Alexandria, Virginia. Bradley Manning, a young whistle-blower who is being kept in a U.S. jail because he leaked confidential documents to WikiLeaks, is being urged to testify against Assange so that the latter can be charged with espionage. In turn, he would be granted amnesty. Assange, however, stated that he never had direct contact with Manning and that the U.S. is now looking to accuse him of breaking the data security and anti-terrorism laws.
Fear of Death in U.S. Jail
If claiming his extradition, the U.S. will have problems proving that this is not a politically motivated move, Assange said. He added that there is a high possibility he will be assassinated in jail if he is to be extradited to the U.S., which he thinks is indicated by calls of American politicians for his liquidation. He also said that the only protection from extradition is the opinion of the British public, since this is what influences the Cameron administration. Consequently, Assange expects himself and WikiLeaks to be discredited via the media. The New York Times, however, has published new cables concerning the fight against drug cartels in Latin America. The documents reveal that the Paraguay and Panama administrations have asked U.S. officials to extend wiretapping to their political opponents, because they think that this would help the DEA fight drug cartels. They also say that the other 63 countries hosting DEA offices demand the same for themselves. Other cables, meanwhile, reveal that Mexican officials and the Guinean government are involved in the drug business.
Previous article![]( "Iran’s Foreign Policy Orientation in 2010 and 2011")
