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The U.S. military has designated Julian Assange and WikiLeaks as enemies of the United States — the same legal category as the al-Qaeda terrorist network and the Taliban insurgency.

Declassified US Air Force counter-intelligence documents, released under US freedom-of-information laws, reveal that military personnel who contact WikiLeaks or WikiLeaks supporters may be at risk of being charged with "communicating with the enemy", a military crime that carries a maximum sentence of death.

The documents, some originally classified "Secret/NoForn" — not releasable to non-US nationals — record a probe by the air force's Office of Special Investigations into a cyber systems analyst based in Britain who allegedly expressed support for WikiLeaks and attended pro-Assange demonstrations in London.

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This document is an official internal document from the US Military that refers to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks as the "enemy". The document is from an internal investigation in the US Air Force, released under the Freedom of Information Act. The document adds to the large store of proof of the persecution of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks by the United States government.

The investigation began after a US Air Force analyst, who was based in the UK at the time, started to attend the London court hearings of Julian Assange. After her superiors became aware of her interest in WikiLeaks and Julian Assange they launched an Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) investigation. The document discloses the level of investigation into the subject where her activities were monitored and herself and her colleagues questioned. The document presents her conscientious association with pro-WikiLeaks activists in London as an illicit activity giving rise to criminal suspicion carrying the death penalty.

Under “MATTERS ALLEGED” on the Complaint Report the file lists “Communicating with the Enemy” and the United States Code of Military Justice citation for that crime. This offense carries the death penalty.

Under “VICTIM” the file lists “Society”

Under “MISSION AREA” the file lists “Counterintelligence”

The allegation of “Communicating with the Enemy” indicates the extremely serious threat Julian Assange and WikiLeaks face from the United States. The investigation was into the subjects support and interactions with WikiLeaks and its supporters ie her communications (or attempted communications) with Mr Assange and WikiLeaks. Therefore the term “Communicating with the Enemy” would appear to show that the US government term Mr Assange and WikiLeaks the "enemy". By deeming them the "enemy" they can be treated under the laws of war which could include killing, capturing, detaining without trial etc.

There is one other possible interpretation of this term and that is that is that Mr Assange and WikiLeaks are not themselves the "enemy" but are a conduit to the "enemy". This too opens up an array of possible attacks on WikiLeaks by the US government and means that all media organizations now risk having suspected sources being executed because communicating with media would mean communicating with the public which is communicating with the enemy in this interpretation.

These potential charges are in addition to the conspiracy to commit espionage charges the the US government is currently trying to raise through a grand jury sitting in Alexandria, Virginia.

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I stand by my assertion that the article cited is just a ploy by Mr. Assange's lawyers to obtain sympathy and probably contributions to a defense fund. It's based on a tenuous chain of assumptions, mis-readings, and half truths.

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