Antiwar.com Launches Boycott of Amazon.com After Retailer Drops WikiLeaks

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, the non-profit organization Antiwar.com initiated a boycott of the major online retailer Amazon.com. The announcement came after Amazon abruptly removed the cloud servers used by WikiLeaks, caving under pressure from Sen. Joe Lieberman. The decision left the site down for several hours on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately, it seems Amazon gave no notice to WikiLeaks," said Eric Garris, founder of Antiwar.com, a non-profit foreign policy site based in San Francisco. "Normally, in an ethical and legal business relationship, notice is given when contracts are terminated to allow for smooth transition. In fact, if WikiLeaks had chosen to terminate the contract with Amazon, they would have been required to give 30 days notice. Yet Amazon gave no such notice, they just unplugged the servers."

WikiLeaks condemned Amazon's decision stating if they "are so uncomfortable with the first amendment, they should get out of the business of selling books." A growing number of consumers and groups are vowing to boycott the retailer, including Antiwar.com, which currently receives about $10,000 annually in referral links. As of Thursday, all links and advertisements had been removed, said Garris.

"WikiLeaks has never been charged with any crime by the US government, nor are any charges pending. Quite the contrary in fact, WikiLeaks is providing a valuable public service by exposing the lies and cover-ups of various governments and corporations. They should be supported."

Antiwar.com, a project of the Randolph Bourne Institute, was founded in 1995. The non-profit, non-partisan news and opinion site is dedicated to the cause of non-interventionism. Visit the website to learn more or to make a donation.

SOURCE Antiwar.com