WikiLeaks back open for donations through French Carte Bleue system
After almost two years of fighting an unlawful banking blockade by US financial giants VISA and MasterCard, WikiLeaks has announced it is back open for donations using the French credit card system, Carte Bleue.
The Wau Holland Transparency Reports for WikiLeaks' finances, released today, illustrate that the blockade resulted in WikiLeaks' income falling to just 21% of its operating costs. WikiLeaks has been forced to run on its cash reserves which have diminished from EUR 800,000 at the end of December 2010, to less than EUR 100,000 at the end of June 2012.
The French credit card system, Carte Bleue, is coupled with the VISA /MasterCard system globally. VISA and MasterCard are contractually barred from directly cutting off merchants through the Carte Bleue system. The French non-profit FDNN (Fund for the Defense of Net Neutrality- Fonds de Défense de la Net Neutralité) has set up a Carte Bleue fund for WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks advises all global supporters to make use of this avenue immediately before VISA/MasterCard attempts to shut it down.
Last week, WikiLeaks won a landmark lawsuit against VISA Iceland (Valitor). In July 2011 WikiLeaks opened a path through the blockade, when VISA-Valitor agreed to process payments to WikiLeaks through the Icelandic payment gateway, Datacell. Soon afterwards, VISA-Valitor blocked donations and ended its relationship with Datacell, in violation of its contractual obligations. Delivering its judgment last week, the Icelandic court in Reykjavik ruled that the donation gateway should be reopened by 26 July 2012, otherwise VISA-Valitor will be penalized with a fine of ISK 800,000 daily.
