Wikileaks to stop publishing classified files

Julian Assange warns donations are being blocked

Wikileaks is set to stop publishing classified files, following a "blockade" by US finance companies.

The whistleblower website said financial services firms including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Western Union and Bank of America had been blocking payments since December, the BBC reported.

"The attack has destroyed 95 percent of our revenue," said Assange. "Tens of millions of dollars" had been lost from people unable to send their money to the organisation.

Wikileaks needed to "aggressively fundraise in order to fight back against this blockade and its proponents", Assange said.

Wikileaks was taking action against the payment firms in the UK, US, Brussels, Denmark, Iceland and Australia, as well as launching an anti-trust complaint with the European Commission.

Meanwhile, Assange remains in the UK, awaiting a High Court judgement on his appeal against extradition to Sweden. He has said that if sent to Sweden, he could be extradited to the US where he would likely face serious charges relating to Wikileaks.

Photo: Espen Moe

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