WikiLeaks, the online leak group, said Thursday that it would begin releasing a cache of more than 2.4 million e-mails between Syrian politicians, government officials and companies dating from 2006 until March of this year.
In a statement announced in London, WikiLeaks said it aimed to “shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy” and that the disclosures in the e-mails would embarrass not only President Bashar al-Assad of Syria but also adversaries of Mr. Assad and his ruling Baath Party.
The statement cited the “violent internal conflict” that has riven that country and led to widespread condemnation of Mr. Assad for ordering a harsh repression of the uprising against him, which he has called a war against terrorists.
“The range of information extends from the intimate correspondence of the most senior Baath Party figures to records of financial transfers sent from Syrian ministries to other nations,” WikiLeaks said.
It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the e-mails, or establish whether the release was related to an earlier leak of internal communications involving Mr. Assad published by the Guardian newspaper.
The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, remains confined to the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he is seeking asylum amid efforts to extradite him to Sweden to face allegations of molestation, sexual abuse and rape brought by two women in Stockholm. Mr. Assange says he fears he will be sent onward to the United States and prosecuted for WikiLeaks’ release of hundreds of thousands of classified American military and diplomatic documents in 2010.
In a statement announced in London, WikiLeaks said it aimed to “shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy” and that the disclosures in the e-mails would embarrass not only President Bashar al-Assad of Syria but also adversaries of Mr. Assad and his ruling Baath Party.
The statement cited the “violent internal conflict” that has riven that country and led to widespread condemnation of Mr. Assad for ordering a harsh repression of the uprising against him, which he has called a war against terrorists.
“The range of information extends from the intimate correspondence of the most senior Baath Party figures to records of financial transfers sent from Syrian ministries to other nations,” WikiLeaks said.
It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the e-mails, or establish whether the release was related to an earlier leak of internal communications involving Mr. Assad published by the Guardian newspaper.
The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, remains confined to the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he is seeking asylum amid efforts to extradite him to Sweden to face allegations of molestation, sexual abuse and rape brought by two women in Stockholm. Mr. Assange says he fears he will be sent onward to the United States and prosecuted for WikiLeaks’ release of hundreds of thousands of classified American military and diplomatic documents in 2010.
Source: NY Times
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