WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's lawyer has said she expects US prosecutors to charge him with espionage soon.

Jennifer Robinson was quoted as saying a US indictment was imminent but offered no more details.

The US Justice Department has been looking into a range of criminal charges, including violations of the 1917 Espionage Act, that could be filed after the whistle-blowing website released hundreds of confidential US diplomatic cables.

Cyber activists attacking organizations seen as foes of WikiLeaks briefly blocked a Dutch prosecution website Friday after a 16-year-old suspected of involvement in the campaign was arrested in the Netherlands.

The activists also tried to block the website of online payment firm Moneybookers, but denied their attacks were intended to create business turmoil or badly disrupt online Christmas shopping.

US authorities said they had not pressured companies to stop working with WikiLeaks.

Attorney General Eric Holder said: "We have not pressured anybody to do anything."

Online retail and web-hosting powerhouse Amazon stopped hosting WikiLeaks' website last week, and Thursday it briefly became the pro-WikiLeaks campaigners' main target - before they admitted it was too big for them, for the moment.

The statement by the activists, who collectively call themselves "Anonymous," added that a lack of firepower was not the only reason the attack on Amazon had not succeeded. They felt "attacking a major online retailer when people are buying presents for their loved ones, would be in bad taste."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20101211/tuk-assange-to-be-charged-with-espionage-dba1618.html

Musiwa,:

When an information is public knowledge it is no more espionage , you get get many information off the internet.

this is one problem with the internet, that why USA govt should invest in company who provide internet content, if not, it is hard to block sure from what i know. Anyone can post from any where, if a site is 1 billion pages, you cant moderate it easy.Except you have so much more or backer, who provide the finance to do so.

spy make good money. they get shoot too.

Musiwa,:


spy make good money. they get shoot too.

slap1:

Assange has been an advocate of free press and investigative journalism. He was given an award by Amnesty Int'l in 2004 or thereabouts for his struggles. Dude is also a computer programmer, so that could explain how he was able to steal so much classified info.

Kobojunkie:

[size=13pt]Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it is known that the information is in unauthorized hands.[/size]

Please people need to consult the meaning of the word to get an idea of what applies.

Even in the real world, when a person purchases STOLEN item, it is still considered STOLEN item and the buyer is likely to be asked to give it back or be implicated as an accomplice.

Olaolufred:

I am not happy at the actions carried out by Assange.

I really don't know what he wanted to achieve by doing this.

Could it be for money or popularity?

His action is like this;

You had sex with your wife yesternite in an hotel.
Unknown to you that a camera had been planted by someone.
Then, a man got the clips and put it on the internet.
Would you praise the man if you know he did such?
Or give him an award for doing a good job.

Always put yourself in position of US as it applies here.

Assange got it wrong.

slap1:

@Bluetooth. Forget that charade of  a "third source". Assange stole the info he's publishing. He probably hacked into the US military database and other unauthorized sites to steal the stuffs he published. Which kin source? The volume of the info is alarmingly huge.

Olaolufred:

I am not happy at the actions carried out by Assange.
I really don't know what he wanted to achieve by doing this.Could it be for money or popularity?His action is like this;
You had sex with your wife yesternite in an hotel.Unknown to you that a camera had been planted by someone.Then, a man got the clips and put it on the internet.Would you praise the man if you know he did such?Or give him an award for doing a good job.
Always put yourself in position of US as it applies here. Assange got it wrong.

~Bluetooth:

Hypocrite !
was it not people like you that was blaming the secrecy about yardua's illness when he was saudi till the time he died ?
Informations are classified top secret,secret,confidential and restricted based on the level of its importance.
What happens to freedom of press,expression and association.what evidence do you have to support the fact that he stole those information ? If wikileaks is going to be blamed,then you also blame those other media corporations that spread the news including NL ? I hope that sound insane to you ?

slap1:

@Bluetooth. Forget that charade of  a "third source". Assange stole the info he's publishing. He probably hacked into the US military database and other unauthorized sites to steal the stuffs he published. Which kin source? The volume of the info is alarmingly huge.

slap1:

@Bluetooth. Forget that charade of  a "third source". Assange stole the info he's publishing. He probably hacked into the US military database and other unauthorized sites to steal the stuffs he published. Which kin source? The volume of the info is alarmingly huge.

Kobojunkie:

It is claimed that a private in the US army stole the information and handed it to Assange. Not 100% on that yet since it has not been made official that that is his source, but it is all too clear that Assange knew the documents were stolen --- he was warned on several occasions not to publish but he went on with it anyways.

strangerf:

Stop making a fool of yourself

We all know he got it from someone

He did not hack into any computer; how come he is the only one with access?

~Bluetooth:

You guys are getting it wrong.I'm talking from the concept of FREEDOM and democracy here.

~Bluetooth:

US accused china of censoring the internet, yet he is finding a way to bury Assange.Russia and some other countries that play the game better than US have been advocating for his Assange's release.
If US dictates world order,then it should practise what it preaches else china,iran and the US will be the same to me.

slap1:

What are you talking about? This guy de-classified a classified info and made it news. Other media houses just did what they know best -- publish news!

~Bluetooth:

who dictates what is classified in international relations ? US ?
We are talking about secret diplomacy that has been used by US to disrupt world order and you are here poisioning the well.
You also forgot that US spying on other countries too is also an act of espionage.

~Bluetooth:

who dictates what is classified in international relations ? US ?
We are talking about secret diplomacy that has been used by US to disrupt world order and you are here poisioning the well.
You also forgot that US spying on other countries too is also an act of espionage.

slap1:

Unfortunately, power is relative; the more power a nation gets, the lesser another has. If the US tag some information "classified", it is because they are a big player, as Stranger pointed out.  Power is something you guard jealously. The US spy on other countries, yeah! They tell you it's for the sake of "world peace". Whether you believe it or not is not their business. They're among the world's most powerful and would go to any extent and use any means to guard their back. And sadly, they'll play diplomatic footie with smaller countries for a very long time.

What many fail to accept is that the American who was supposedly also involved in this case is already on his way to serving a 52 year jail term. No one seems to mention that. Even when an American steals classified american information, there is consequence, talk less of when a non-american steals the property of the US,

Kobojunkie:

The problem with the way you argue is that you manufacture ideas from thing air and then confuse them with reality. FREEDOM and Democracy have absolutely nothing to do with this issue. You do not walk into your neighbor’s house to take that which he has in his house, even if it is yours to take. It is called STEALING.
Freedom does not grant you the right to take that which is not within your reach. It is wrong to think it does. Democracy does not give you the right to steal information that is not within the public domain. It is wrong to think it does.
There are so many things wrong with the block above that I think it is best that one inform you that what you have above has little or nothing to do with this thread or this issue.