Controversy

Is WikiLeaks in Trouble at Home?

Australia pushing for Sweden to prosecute of Julian Assange.

Australia might pressure Sweden to prosecute site founder Julian Assange for endangering troops if WikiLeaks releases thousands more military documents about Afghanistan and Iraq. Assange is an Australian citizen who runs the document-dumping site from Sweden. WikiLeaks released 77,000 classified documents about the Afghan war in July—a move that many said endangered Afghan citizens who worked with Western forces and were named in the files—and will likely follow with 15,000 more this fall. Assange should be prevented from putting lives on the line in Afghanistan while he enjoyed “the comforts of his office,” Australia’s attorney general said. "If these acts amount to an offense, the people involved will most certainly be prosecuted." Even though it might be tough to pinpoint where the potential crime took place if it’s committed online, Australia says it will work with any country to prosecute the offenders.