WikiLeaks Wins Case against Visa – Contractor Ordered to Pay ‘$204k per Month if Blockade Not Lifted’
NEWS, ASIA--PACIFIC, MEDIA, WHISTLEBLOWING - SURVEILLANCE, JUSTICE, CAPITALISM, ECONOMICS, 29 Apr 2013
Russia Today – TRANSCEND Media Service
25 Apr 2013 – Iceland’s Supreme Court has ruled that Valitor (formerly Visa Iceland) must pay WikiLeaks $204,900 per month or $2,494,604 per year in fines if it continues to blockade the whistle-blowing site.
The court upheld the decision that Valitor had unlawfully terminated its contract with WikiLeaks’ donation processor, DataCell.
“Today’s decision marked the most important victory to date against the unlawful and arbitrary economic blockade erected by US companies against WikiLeaks,” the organization’s press release stated.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assage thanked the Icelandic people “for showing that they will not be bullied by powerful Washington backed financial services companies like Visa.”
WikiLeaks asserts that the financial blockade was imposed after the site published leaks exposing corruption within Iceland in December 2010. The leak shed light onto why the country’s banking system collapsed in 2008.
The Icelandic Supreme Court is the highest court in Iceland. There is no route of appeal for Valitor.
Economic blockades against WikiLeaks have starved the whistle-blowing site of funds, prompting WikiLeaks to launch fundraisers on its main page. WikiLeaks has previously accused “hard-right US politicians” of orchestrating the “extrajudicial” banking blockade against it.
Freedom of the press campaigners such as Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel Elsberg and actor John Cusack have launched the Freedom of the Press Foundation, aimed at collecting money for WikiLeaks. The organization allows donors to make anonymous, tax-deductible donations.
A similar legal battle is currently taking place against a Danish sub-contractor for Visa, equivalent to Valitor.
Last November, the European Parliament passed a resolution which included a clause drafted specifically in relation to the economic blockade against WikiLeaks. The resolution called on the European Commission to draft regulations which would prevent online payment facilitators from arbitrarily denying services to companies or organizations, such as WikiLeaks.
The whistle-blowing site says it has launched a formal complaint to the European Commission on the basis that Visa and MasterCard have unlawfully abused their dominant market position. The two credit card companies currently take up 95 per cent of the European market. It remains unclear whether the Commission will open a formal investigation.
DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
One Response to “WikiLeaks Wins Case against Visa – Contractor Ordered to Pay ‘$204k per Month if Blockade Not Lifted’”
Read more
Click here to go to the current weekly digest or pick another article:
NEWS:
- We're Sailing to Gaza
- Türkiye Bans Israeli Ships, Goods at Its Ports, Halts Cargo Overflights, Declares Gaza a Genocide
- Full Text: Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2024
ASIA--PACIFIC:
- Memorial to the Massacre of Koreans in Japan: A Foundation for Coexistence
- Washington's Nightmare: Modi and Xi Break the Ice
- Why Japan Is an "Accomplice" in the Occupation of Palestine
MEDIA:
- How Western Media Helped Turn Israel’s Genocide into ‘Fake News’
- The Ramzy Baroud/Palestine Chronicle Case: When Truth Becomes the Crime
- “Israel Has Succeeded in Killing Me”
WHISTLEBLOWING - SURVEILLANCE:
- BREAKING: Whistleblower Israeli Soldier Says IDF Burned over 1,000 Food Trucks Meant for Gaza
- I’ve Worked at Google for Decades and I’m Sickened by What It’s Doing
- Julian Assange and the Criminalization of Journalism: A Story of Moral Injury and Moral Courage
JUSTICE:
- Myanmar to Gaza: Impotence of Courts in Preventing Genocides and Punishing Perpetrators
- International Criminal Court: New US Sanctions ‘a Flagrant Attack’ on Judicial Independence
- People’s Inquiries: Alternatives for Seeking Justice
CAPITALISM:
- Transnational Capitalism: Organized Crime Fueling Global Destruction for Profit
- Trump vs. Musk: The Break-up
- January 20, 2025
ECONOMICS:
Well done to Iceland’s Supreme Court. Denying WikiLeaks the means to raise legitimate revenue to defend itself is truly outrageous.
Helen Gavaghan
Publisher