Website attracting condemnation and respect

Despite humble beginnings WikiLeaks has grown to become a thorn in the side of a number of governments.

A series of highly sensitive exposs have generated headlines across the world and led to the whistleblowing organisation being viewed with increasing respect by human rights groups.

The not-for-profit group was launched in 2007 with a mission statement of bringing important news and information to the public.

Its website states its modus operandi is to provide an "innovative, secure and anonymous way for sources to leak information to our journalists".

Its secretive way of operating has resulted in a series of dramatic exposs.

Among a long list of high-profile stories are revelations about the controversial belief system of scientology, disclosures on the treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre and the publication of the names and addresses of members of the far right British National Party.

WikiLeaks came in for concerted military criticism this summer after publishing confidential documents concerning the war in Afghanistan.

But it nonetheless followed up the expos with a further release of classified papers from the Iraq conflict.

Led by Australian Julian Assange, these latest revelations will surely go down as one of the group's highest-profile coups.

And as WikiLeaks has proved time and time again, there will be more to come.