WikiLeaks today announced that it has been "forced to temporarily suspend its publishing operations and aggressively fundraise" to counter a banking blockade launched against it by BankAmerica, VISA, Western Union, MasterCard and PayPal.
Assange in a video appealing for donations to WikiLeaks. |
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange claims the blockade has destroyed 95 percent of the organization’s revenue.
The group says the blockade went into effect last year after WikiLeaks began posting highly sensitive State Dept. memos.
It is "part of a concerted U.S.-based political attack that included vitriol by senior right wing politicians, including assassination calls against WikiLeaks staff," according to a statement posted on the group’s website.
WikiLeaks has been running on cash reserves for the past 11 months. If the blockade stands unchallenged, "a dangerous, oppressive and undemocratic precedent will have been set," according to the statement. "Any organization that falls foul of powerful finance companies or their political allies can expect similar extrajudicial action."
WikiLeaks says it launched "pre-litigation" against the financial companies in the U.S., U.K., Iceland Denmark and Australia.
It expects a mid-November ruling from the European Commission on whether it will launch a full probe into the activities of Visa and MasterCard.