WikiLeaks nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

By Andrew Couts February 3, 2011

Some say WikiLeaks helped launch the protests in Tunisia, which toppled that country’s dictator and ushered in a wave of similar protests that are currently sweeping through the Arab world. Now, the anti-secrecy organization, along with it’s founder Julian Assange, have been nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for doing just that.

Norwegian lawmaker, 26-year-old Snorre Valen, announced Tuesday that he’d nominated WikiLeaks, which released a massive cache of U.S. diplomatic cables late last year, just before the Nobel Committee stopped taking new nominees.

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“I think it is important to raise a debate about freedom of expression and that truth is always the first casualty in war,” Valen told the Associated Press. “WikiLeaks wants to make governments accountable for their actions and that contributes to peace.”

Valen further justified his choice for the prestigious prize on his blog, saying WikiLeaks has played a crucial role this past year in advancing human rights and democracy across the world, similar to 2010 winner, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo:

Liu Xiabao was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his struggle for human rights, democracy and freedom of speech in China. Likewise: Wikileaks have contributed to the struggle for those very values globally, by exposing (among many other things) corruption, war crimes and torture – some times even conducted by allies of Norway. And most recently: By disclosing the economic arrangements by the presidential family in Tunisia, Wikileaks have made a small contribution to bringing down a 24-year-lasting dictatorship.

Just because WikiLeaks was nominated, doesn’t mean it will win, however, as it has its fair share of powerful critics around the world. Like U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, for instance, who said he was “appalled” by WikiLeaks’ release of the Afghan War Diary last year.

Julian Assange remains a person of interest in a Swedish investigation into accusations of rape and sexual misconduct. Today, documents detailing the broken condom at the center of the case were leaked to Wired.com.

To be investigated for rape and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year is quite a feat on its own, to say the least.

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Assange's legal team did not have a response to the high court's ruling, which seems to have come as a bit of a surprise to the court. According to media reports, Assange's legal team had received a copy of the ruling late last week, and were widely expected to immediate file for permission to take the case to Britain's supreme court. Assange's team has up to 14 days to make such a filing, however.

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Assange says Wikileaks desperate for money

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"These politicized companies believe they have the right to stop you voting with your wallet," Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said in a video statement. "We have decided to throw all our efforts into fighting these corrupt financial institutions."

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Hackers leak Citigroup CEO’s personal data after Occupy Wall Street arrests

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In retaliation for the arrest of protesters who tried to close their Citibank accounts, hackers sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street movement have released personal information about Citigroup Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit.
Data, including cell and office phone numbers, an email address, two home addresses, legal and financial information and information about Pandit's family, were all posted online by members of a hacker group known as CabinCr3w. The group affiliates itself with the loose-knit group Anonymous, which has a long history of high-profile hacks and data leaks.
Anonymous members played a key role in promoting the original Occupy Wall Street protest, which began on September 17. A month later, the Occupy movement has spread to more than 900 cities around the world, primarily through the use of Twitter and other social media and Internet properties.
“During Occupy Wall street, protesters had made way to CitiBank to withdraw their funds and close their accounts,” wrote CabinCr3w on their Tumblr blog. “They were met with strong police prescence [sic] and arrested. We as american citizens MUST have full control over our money and lively hood. When this is taken away from us, what else do we have? So the CEO of CitiBank has blindly jumped into the sights of the CabinCr3w…”
This weekend, a small group of Occupy Wall Street protesters moved their fight to a Citibank in downtown Manhattan, where they attempted to close their bank accounts as an act of protest. According to the Wall Street Journal, 24 people in the group were arrested for criminal trespassing after they refused to leave the Citibank branch.
"A large amount of protesters entered our branch at 555 La Guardia Place around 2:00 PM today,” said Citigroup in a prepared statement. “They were very disruptive and refused to leave after being repeatedly asked, causing our staff to call 911. The Police asked the branch staff to close the branch until the protesters could be removed. Only one person asked to close an account and was accommodated.”
Last week, Pandit said he would be happy to meet with Occupy Wall Street protesters, who blame the financial sector for the bad economy, and oppose its influence on US politics, reports Businessweek. He said their complaints are “completely understandable.”
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