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Toronto Star - WikiLeaks has human rights activists on alert

Published: 7 January 2011

The U.S. State Department has put hundreds of human rights activists, foreign government officials and business people on notice that they may be outed by a new outpouring of WikiLeaks cables. Washington’s worry is a sign that even in the electronic age, old-fashioned human contact is still vital to both diplomats and those seeking justice in repressive countries.

“There’s real reason to be concerned,” says Payam Akhavan, a McGill University Law professor and former UN prosecutor. “In many countries conveying information on human rights violations can be grounds for imprisonment, and even charges of espionage which can be subject to the death penalty.”

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