SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Wikileaks Publishes the 'Syrian Files'
Email trove to shed light on the ongoing conflict in Syria including critical look at Assad regime, opposition forces, and western influence
Jul 05, 2012
Beginning this morning, the international media organization and whistleblower group WikiLeaks began publishing what they are calling the "Syria Files" - more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.
According to Wikileaks, the email data "derives from 680 Syria-related entities or domain names, including those of the Ministries of Presidential Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Information, Transport and Culture." The massive release of documents comes at a time in which Syria is undergoing a violent internal conflict that has killed between 6,000 and 15,000 people in the last 18 months.
"The Syria Files shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another," the group said.
"It is only through understanding [the Syrian] conflict that we can hope to resolve it."
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said: "The material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria's opponents. It helps us not merely to criticise one group or another, but to understand their interests, actions and thoughts. It is only through understanding this conflict that we can hope to resolve it."
Over the next two months, according to a press release by the group, ground-breaking stories derived from the files will appear in WikiLeaks (global), Al Akhbar (Lebanon), Al Masry Al Youm (Egypt), ARD (Germany), Associated Press (US), L'Espresso (Italy), Owni (France) and Publico.es (Spain). Other publications will announce themselves closer to their publishing date.
WikiLeaks held a press conference to announce the Syria Files on July 5, 2012 at the Frontline Club in London. Since Assange is currently at the Ecuadorian Embassy, the information was presented by WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison.
The Syria Files include over 2 million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.
###
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Beginning this morning, the international media organization and whistleblower group WikiLeaks began publishing what they are calling the "Syria Files" - more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.
According to Wikileaks, the email data "derives from 680 Syria-related entities or domain names, including those of the Ministries of Presidential Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Information, Transport and Culture." The massive release of documents comes at a time in which Syria is undergoing a violent internal conflict that has killed between 6,000 and 15,000 people in the last 18 months.
"The Syria Files shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another," the group said.
"It is only through understanding [the Syrian] conflict that we can hope to resolve it."
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said: "The material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria's opponents. It helps us not merely to criticise one group or another, but to understand their interests, actions and thoughts. It is only through understanding this conflict that we can hope to resolve it."
Over the next two months, according to a press release by the group, ground-breaking stories derived from the files will appear in WikiLeaks (global), Al Akhbar (Lebanon), Al Masry Al Youm (Egypt), ARD (Germany), Associated Press (US), L'Espresso (Italy), Owni (France) and Publico.es (Spain). Other publications will announce themselves closer to their publishing date.
WikiLeaks held a press conference to announce the Syria Files on July 5, 2012 at the Frontline Club in London. Since Assange is currently at the Ecuadorian Embassy, the information was presented by WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison.
The Syria Files include over 2 million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.
###
Beginning this morning, the international media organization and whistleblower group WikiLeaks began publishing what they are calling the "Syria Files" - more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.
According to Wikileaks, the email data "derives from 680 Syria-related entities or domain names, including those of the Ministries of Presidential Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Information, Transport and Culture." The massive release of documents comes at a time in which Syria is undergoing a violent internal conflict that has killed between 6,000 and 15,000 people in the last 18 months.
"The Syria Files shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another," the group said.
"It is only through understanding [the Syrian] conflict that we can hope to resolve it."
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said: "The material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria's opponents. It helps us not merely to criticise one group or another, but to understand their interests, actions and thoughts. It is only through understanding this conflict that we can hope to resolve it."
Over the next two months, according to a press release by the group, ground-breaking stories derived from the files will appear in WikiLeaks (global), Al Akhbar (Lebanon), Al Masry Al Youm (Egypt), ARD (Germany), Associated Press (US), L'Espresso (Italy), Owni (France) and Publico.es (Spain). Other publications will announce themselves closer to their publishing date.
WikiLeaks held a press conference to announce the Syria Files on July 5, 2012 at the Frontline Club in London. Since Assange is currently at the Ecuadorian Embassy, the information was presented by WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison.
The Syria Files include over 2 million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.
###
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.