Founder Julian Assange told British media in London that the financial blockade against the website has drained the financial resources and he would need about $3.5 million to keep WikiLeaks going into 2013. At a news conference, Assange criticized a “dangerous, oppressive and undemocratic” that has cost WikiLeaks “tens of millions of dollars.” If additional financing is not secured, WikiLeaks will have to shut down “by the turn of the new year.”

WikiLeaks apparently receives only about $10,000 per month in donations and has been forced to suspend processing and publishing new leaks. Assange believes that the “blockade” that is being enforced by institutions such as Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union has reduced WikiLeaks revenue by as much as 95 percent.

To evade the blocking of payments, WikiLeaks recently used a strategy of small donations that were submitted via cellphones, but it apparently did not provide enough funds to secure the future of the site. Assange said that he is now pursuing donations from a “constellation of wealthy individuals.” There was no information who these individuals may be.

Assange spoke during a brief break from his house arrest at a news conference about 100 miles outside of London. He is still waiting for a decision whether the UK will follow Sweden’s request to extradite him on accusations that he sexually abused two women during a stay in Sweden in 2010.

SOURCE via USA Today