2.4 million Syria e-mails unveiled from WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks reported on Thursday that is has began to publish some 2.4 million e-mails from Syrian politicians, government ministries, and companies dating back to 2006. The e-mails range in languages from Arabic and Russian and are derived from the ministries of presidential affairs, finance, information and foreign affairs, and others. The messages “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,” according to WikiLeaks, which facilitates the anonymous leaking of classified information.

WikiLeaks has published nearly 250,000 confidential U.S. diplomatic cables, causing embarrassment to the government and others. The organization has also published hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents relating to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was arrested in Britain in 2010 over accusations of rape and sex crime charges in Sweden. The British police served Assange notice, requiring him to turn himself in to authorities, which he has declined. He is currently seeking asylum inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.