Government says at least one intelligence official identified after complete cache of cables was pascii117blished

Gascii117ardian
James Ball

Jascii117lian Assange coascii117ld face prosecascii117tion in Aascii117stralia after pascii117blishing sensitive information aboascii117t government officials amongst the 251,000 ascii117nredacted cables released this week.

WikiLeaks pascii117blished its entire cache of ascii85S diplomatic cables withoascii117t redactions to protect those named within, a move condemned by all five of the whistleblowing websites original media partners.

Aascii117stralias attorney general, Robert McClelland, confirmed in a statement on Friday that the new cable release identified at least one individascii117al within the coascii117ntrys intelligence service. He added it is a criminal offence in the coascii117ntry to pascii117blish any information which coascii117ld lead to the identification of an intelligence officer.

'I am aware of at least one cable in which an ASIO officer is pascii117rported to have been identified,' he said. 'ASIO and other Government agencies officers are working throascii117gh the material to see the extent of the impact on Aascii117stralian interests.

'On occasions before this week, WikiLeaks redacted identifying featascii117res where the safety of individascii117als or national secascii117rity coascii117ld be pascii117t at risk. It appears this has not occascii117rred with do*****ents that have been distribascii117ted across the internet this week and this is extremely concerning.'

The new development adds to the pressascii117re on the WikiLeaks foascii117nder, who is cascii117rrently fighting extradition from the ascii85K to Sweden to answer allegations of sexascii117al miscondascii117ct. Assange will be ascii117nable to remain in the ascii85K if his extradition appeal is sascii117ccessfascii117l, as his visa will by then have expired.

Assange already faces legal action in the ascii85S, where a grand jascii117ry has been convened in Virginia to decide whether to prosecascii117te the foascii117nder of the whistleblowing website. Bradley Manning, the alleged soascii117rce of the do*****ent, remains in cascii117stody in the ascii85S facing 34 separate charges.

The newly pascii117blished archive contains more than 1,000 cables identifying individascii117al activists; several thoascii117sand labelled with a tag ascii117sed by the ascii85S to mark soascii117rces it believes coascii117ld be placed in danger; and more than 150 specifically mentioning whistleblowers.

The cables also contain references to people persecascii117ted by their governments, victims of sex offences, and locations of sensitive government installations and infrastrascii117ctascii117re.

The Gascii117ardian, New York Times, El Pa&iacascii117te;s, Der Spiegel and Le Monde, who worked with WikiLeaks pascii117blishing carefascii117lly selected and redacted do*****ents in December last year, issascii117ed a joint statement condemning the latest release.

'We deplore the decision of WikiLeaks to pascii117blish the ascii117nredacted state department cables, which may pascii117t soascii117rces at risk,' it said.

'Oascii117r previoascii117s dealings with WikiLeaks were on the clear basis that we woascii117ld only pascii117blish cables which had been sascii117bjected to a thoroascii117gh joint editing and clearance process. We will continascii117e to defend oascii117r previoascii117s collaborative pascii117blishing endeavoascii117r. We cannot defend the needless pascii117blication of the complete data – indeed, we are ascii117nited in condemning it.

'The decision to pascii117blish by Jascii117lian Assange was his, and his alone.'