Document’s publication will endanger lives, US warns WikiLeaks

WASHINGTON - The US government has warned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that the imminent release of classified US documents could place “countless” lives at risk and undermine global security.

The State Department released the letter Sunday. It demands WikiLeaks, a self-proclaimed whistleblower website, return all of the documents that were leaked in violation of US law.

The State Department said the letter was written in response to earlier correspondence from Assange requesting information about individuals who could be at risk with the publication of the documents.

The State Department legal advisor Harold Hongju Koh responded in a letter dated Saturday.

“Despite your stated desire to protect those lives, you have done the opposite and endangered the lives of countless individuals,” Koh wrote. “You have undermined your stated objective by disseminating this material widely, without redaction, and without regard to the security and sanctity of the lives your actions endanger.”

“We will not engage in a negotiation regarding the further release or dissemination of illegally obtained US government classified materials,” Koh said.

The letter said Assange should cease publishing all of the documentation, return the material and remove it from WikiLeaks databases if he is “genuinely interested in seeking to stop the damage from your actions”.