WikiLeaks 61

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110202/ap_on_re_eu/eu_wikileaks_nobel

WikiLeaks Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

By Bjoern H. Amland, Associated Press

03 February 11

 Norwegian lawmaker has nominated WikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, saying Wednesday that its disclosures of classified documents promote world peace by holding governments accountable for their actions.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps candidates secret for 50 years, but those with nomination rights sometimes make their picks known.

Snorre Valen, a 26-year-old legislator from Norway's Socialist Left Party, told The Associated Press he handed in his nomination in person on Tuesday, the last day to put forth candidates.

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

Valen also announced his choice on his blog, where he wrote that WikiLeaks had advanced the struggle for human rights, democracy and freedom of speech, just like last year's winner, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Valen cited disclosures of nepotism and corruption in Tunisia's presidential family, saying WikiLeaks "made a small contribution to bringing down" that regime.

The prize committee typically receives more than 200 nominations, so being nominated doesn't say anything about a candidate's chances of actually winning. And there's no way of knowing for sure that people who announce candidates actually submitted a legitimate nomination to the award committee.

Kristian Harpsviken, a leading Nobel-watcher and director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, said he didn't consider WikiLeaks as a strong candidate for the 10 million kronor ($1.6 million) award.

"The reason I think it's unlikely is that there has been so much criticism of WikiLeaks, not least how they have handled identification issues of people in the documents," he said. "I don't think it quite does the trick."

Harpsviken keeps a list of "possible and confirmed nominations," based on public announcements and his own sources. His list this year includes WikiLeaks as well as Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of leaking material to the website.

Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva, Afghan human rights advocate Sima Samar, and several rights groups including U.S.-based Wings of Hope and Cuban opposition movement Damas de Blanco are also on the list.

His own top guess is Russian rights group Memorial, followed by activists Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Ory Okolloh of Kenya.

The committee will announce the winner in October.

Malin Rising and Karl Ritter in Stockholm contributed to this report

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, 11/29/2010. (photo: Forbes)

Aussie Human Rights Award for Julian Assange

By Ryan Witcombe, Pro Bono Australia

03 February 11

he Sydney Peace Foundation has awarded its gold medal for 'peace with justice' to controversial WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange.

The citation reads, 'For exceptional courage and initiative in pursuit of human rights.' The award is expected to be made to Assange in Sydney in mid May or at a ceremony in London later this year.

This award is distinct from the annual Sydney Peace Prize. In its 14-year history the Foundation has awarded this gold medal on three previous occasions, to the Dalai Lama (1998); Nelson Mandela (2000) and Japanese lay Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda (2009).

Foundation Director, Professor Stuart Rees says Assange was told of the Human Rights Award while the WikiLeaks founder was in jail awaiting a UK bail hearing on extradition matters.

He says Assange's moral was raised considerably on hearing the news.

Prof Rees says Assange's work is in the Tom Paine Rights of Man and Daniel Ellsberg Pentagon Papers tradition - challenging the old order of power in politics and in journalism.

Prof Rees says Assange has championed people's right to know and has challenged the centuries-old tradition that governments are entitled to keep the public in a state of ignorance.

He says in the Paine, Ellsberg and Assange cases, those in power moved quickly to silence their critics even by perverting the course of justice.

Assange is currently being investigated by a US grand jury. In 1792 a grand jury in the UK indicted Paine for sedition for publishing the Rights of Man.

Paine's work was regarded by politicians of the time as evidence of 'a dangerous and treasonable conspiracy.' This was later shown to be a fabrication by ministers who exercised an illegal influence over the grand jury.

WikiLeaks' revelations have included video of the killings from a US Apache helicopter of 17 civilians in Baghdad; corrupt practices by former Kenyan President Moi; US government plans to promote genetically modified crops and the Israeli government's plans for war against Hamas or Hezbollah.

The Sydney Peace Foundation concluded that Julian Assange's journalism has made a historically significant contribution to the operation of democracy.

It says Wikileaks has exposed the extent to which governments, the military and business all over the world have used "secrecy" to cloak their real intentions and activities.

Julian Assange will appear at Belmarsh Magistrates Court in London on 7th February in an action titled Sweden v. Assange.

Assange won bail at an earlier hearing but is wanted for questioning on sexual assault charges which his supporters say are trumped-up to divert attention from WikiLeaks' revelations.

Professor Rees says the Sydney Peace Foundation never makes awards by proxy and intends to deliver the Award to Assange in person whether it be in Australia or the UK.