In December 2010 and January 2011, WikiLeaks became embroiled in allegations that Israel Shamir, a vocal supporter and self-described accredited freelancer, obtained and redistributed sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables outside the organization’s redaction process. Former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg cited Shamir’s connection to the group as one reason he left. The Associated Press reported an unsigned 2010 letter from Julian Assange authorizing Shamir to seek a Russian visa, while WikiLeaks denied that Assange wrote it or that Shamir had an official role. WikiLeaks later stated that Shamir had never worked or volunteered for the organization, a denial former staffer James Ball called untrue.
Ball alleged that Shamir visited Belarusian officials and provided unpublished, unredacted cables to Alexander Lukashenko’s government; state-run Belarusian media began publishing material it claimed came from WikiLeaks in January 2011. Index on Censorship warned that the disclosures could expose Belarusian opposition figures to physical danger, while another WikiLeaks representative called the alleged transfer unauthorized. In 2011, Shamir also posted unredacted cables concerning former Soviet states, potentially revealing U.S. sources. Ball separately claimed Julian Assange instructed him to give Shamir 90,000 U.S. cables, but the source records no criminal judgment establishing that allegation or a definitive legal aftermath.
