Wikileaks memorabilia auction on eBay to raise funds

Items for sale make much of their link with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

The Wikileaks website has put up for sale a collection of memorabilia associated with its founder, Julian Assange, in a bid to raise funds.

Among the items on the eBay auction site are a sachet of prison coffee and a laptop computer.

Starting bids for the items range from $315 (£200) for the coffee to $6,000 for the computer.

Wikileaks has come under increasing financial pressure as sources of funding have been shut down.

It has been criticised by several governments for releasing sensitive US diplomatic cables which, critics say, could put at risk some of those named as sources.

Disputes between Mr Assange and other founder members over his style of leadership have further undermined the site, while he is also fighting extradition to Sweden over allegations of sexual offences against two women. He denies the allegations.

Exclusive

Many of the items put up for sale make much of their association with Mr Assange.

An "exclusive" photograph of him with a starting price of $947 is described as being signed "Julian A, Ellingham Hall, 10 July 2011 while under house-arrest two days before high court appeal at his 40th Birthday party".

The coffee sachet is said to have been smuggled out of the prison where Mr Assange was held on remand, until his release on bail in December 2010.

The computer, which has a buy it now price of $552,615, was used to "prepare the cables for media partners and releases".

"In this exclusive auction item you will get the full set of Wikileaks Cables, the Wikileaks computer and its passwords," Wikileaks said in a statement released on Twitter.