(SMH) – Julian Assange has confirmed that WikiLeaks still holds classified United States government documents that it is yet to publish.
However the transparency website will not release this material during the court martial of its source, US Army private Bradley Manning.
Speaking to Fairfax Media, Mr Assange said on Tuesday that Manning was “America’s foremost political prisoner … an activist who faces retribution for revealing the truth”.
Manning last Thursday publicly accepted responsibility for providing WikiLeaks with hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic reports, telling a US military court that he did so to spark public debate on US foreign policy and military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Bradley Manning’s plea was a very positive development for him,” Mr Assange said.
“For the first time he was able to speak about his motivation to reveal truths and stimulate public debate about war.
“The US Government has repeatedly sought to deny or suppress Manning’s motivation for his actions, and the tabloid press has tried to strip him of any political motivation.”
Bloody Hell! Julian deserves a medal of honor! But we’re done; time for duck, cover, and escape…
I did, and still don’t feel safe; how telling is that…
I don’t know what he’s holding back, but I’d like to see it. If he’s holding something back for self-preservation he should take a page from government: don’t negotiate with terrorists.
Chris Hedges reveals some of what Bradley Manning had to say in court, (while mainstream media, once again fails to do so).
I think he’s holding back so as not to excerbate the Manning trial, and will release more after the trial is finished.