WikiLeaks to release CIA paper

STOCKHOLM: WikiLeaks is preparing to release a leaked CIA paper sometime Wednesday, the whistleblower website said.   “WikiLeaks to release CIA paper tomorrow,” it said in a Tweet late on Tuesday, also posted on its website, which is already locked in a dispute with the Pentagon over the leaked secret military documents on the Afghan war.

It published nearly 77,000 classified US military documents on the war in Afghanistan on July 23, and has said it will publish another 15,000 within the next couple of weeks. The site, which has also previously leaked information leading to shocking revelations of places ranging from Iraq to Iceland, did not provide any further details about the CIA paper it planned to release.

WikiLeaks has been heavily criticised by US authorities and others for endangering lives with the Afghan leaks.  The site’s founder Julian Assange has claimed that the Pentagon is orchestrating a smear campaign against him.

The 39-year-old Australian was caught up in a media storm this weekend, after Swedish prosecutors issued a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of rape, only to retract the order hours later. Authorities are still, however, investigating a separate claim of molestation against Assange.  The former hacker has reportedly hired one of Sweden’s top defence attorneys ahead of a looming decision of whether he will be prosecuted.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2010.