WikiLeaks to auction its co-founder's stuff on eBay

A whistleblowing website Wikileaks begun an auction on eBay to raise money, selling memorabilia tied to Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange and the disclosure of leaked secrets of American diplomacy, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Wikileaks group auctioned 10 pieces of memorabilia and services, including a portrait of Assange set at more than $900, a package of coffee from Assange's time spent in a London jail, a computer on which WikiLeaks team prepared publication of the secret documents, the paper said. The auction even offers a meal prepared by a chef and a friend of Assange's and a diplomatic cable from the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the United Nations, signed and fingerprinted by Assange. Starting price for the lots range from a minimum of $315 for the coffee package to over $500,000 for the computer. In late 2010, Wikileaks provoked U.S. rage by releasing confidential diplomatic documents. The auction is the latest effort to raise revenue for Wikileaks group, which has lost many of its fund-raising sources after the scandal. Such operators as Visa and MasterCard have banned to transfer funds to WikiLeaks accounts.