WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says the organisation will publish about 1 million documents related to the US election and three governments, but denies the release is aimed at damaging Hillary Clinton.

Key points: The first batch of documents will be released in the coming week

The first batch of documents will be released in the coming week Assange says the material focusses on war, weapons, oil, massive surveillance, Google, and the US election

Assange says the material focusses on war, weapons, oil, massive surveillance, Google, and the US election The announcement marks WikiLeaks' 10th anniversary

The announcement marks WikiLeaks' 10th anniversary Assange said that WikiLeaks is changing the way it is organised and funded

Speaking via a video link, Mr Assange said the documents would be released before the end of the year, starting with an initial batch in the coming week.

Mr Assange, 45, who remains at the Ecuadoran embassy in London, where he sought refuge in 2012 to avoid possible extradition to Sweden, said the election material was "significant" and would come out before the November 8 US presidential election.

He criticised Mrs Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, for demonising the group's work after a spate of releases related to the Democratic National Committee before the Democratic political convention in July.

Mr Assange said Mrs Clinton's campaign had falsely suggested that accessing WikiLeaks data would make users vulnerable to malicious software.

But he denied the release of documents related to the US election was specifically geared to damage Mrs Clinton, saying he had been misquoted.

"The material that WikiLeaks is going to publish before the end of the year is of ... a very significant moment in different directions, affecting three powerful organisations in three different states as well as ... the US election process," he said via a video link at an event marking the group's 10th anniversary.

Mr Assange said the material would focus on war, weapons, oil, mass surveillance, the technology giant Google and the US election, but declined to give any details.

"There has been a misquoting of me and WikiLeaks publications ... [suggesting] we intend to harm Hillary Clinton or I intend to harm Hillary Clinton or that I don't like Hillary Clinton. All those are false," he said.

WikiLeaks organisation to undergo changes: Assange

Mr Assange also signalled changes in the way WikiLeaks is organised and funded, saying the group would soon open itself to membership.

He said the group was looking to expand its work beyond the 100 media outlets it works with.

He told journalists at a Berlin theatre the group's work would continue, even if he had to resign in the future, and he appealed to supporters to fund the group's work, and said several new books were forthcoming.

Mr Assange said the Brexit vote may affect his case for diplomatic asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy. ( Reuters: Toby Melville, file )

Mr Assange said Britain's vote to leave the European Union could complicate his case by limiting his ability to appeal to the European Court of Justice, a European human rights body.

Asked how he felt after four years in the embassy, he said "pale" and joked he would be a good candidate for medical study since he was otherwise healthy but had not seen the sun in over four years.

Mr Assange is wanted in Sweden for questioning about allegations that he committed rape in 2010.

He denies the allegations and says he fears extradition to the United States, where a criminal investigation into the activities of WikiLeaks is underway.

In 2010, WikiLeaks released more than 90,000 secret documents on the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan, followed by almost 400,000 US military reports detailing operations in Iraq.

Reuters