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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsStatement from Freedom of The Press Foundation on the outrageous detention of Greenwald's partner
A statement from @FreedomofPress on the outrageous detention of @ggreenwald's partner by the UK over the NSA stories https://pressfreedomfoundation.org/blog/2013/08/investigating-acts-journalism-under-terrorism-laws-hallmark-authoritarian-regimes
August 18, 2013
By Trevor Timm Follow @TrevorTimm
In an outrageous and unacceptable attack on press freedom, Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwalds partner, David Miranda, was detained for almost nine hours at Heathrow airport in London earlier today under section 7 of the UKs pernicious Terrorism Act. Miranda was returning to his home in Brazil after a week-long visit with documentarian Laura Poitras. Miranda, whose flights were paid for by the Guardian, was reportedly bringing important documents back to Greenwald on USB thumbdrives.
Greenwald and Poitras (both of whom are on our board of directors) have been the central journalists reporting the recent stories on the NSA, based on leaked documents provided to them by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Miranda was detained for eight hours and fifty-five minutes by security, for much of it he was denied access to a lawyer, while being asked questions about the NSA. His electronics, including his phone, computers, and USB thumbdrives, were confiscated and not returned when he was released.
It is unclear what the UK government was trying to accomplish by detaining Miranda. Likely, it was meant as some form of intimidation. But surely, it will backfire. Investigating acts of journalism under terrorism laws and detaining family members of reporters are hallmarks of authoritarian regimes.
Regardless of whether this was an aberration or somehow a horrible mistake, it sends exactly the wrong example to countries the US and UK regularly excoriate for human rights abuses. Take, for example, this report from Human Rights Watch from a year ago: The Iranian government has been intimidating and detaining relatives and friends of foreign-based Persian-language journalists to obtain information or silence them.
And until UK government takes swift action to rectify this injustice, other journalists and their loved ones should be on alert. Not only was Miranda detained, but Greenwald's journalistic work-product was seized. As Andrew Sullivan wrote, So any journalist passing through Londons Heathrow has now been warned: do not take any documents with you. Britain is now a police state when it comes to journalists, just like Russia is.
The most appalling part of the story is the use of UKs terrorism law as a guise to detain David, who, of course, has nothing to do with terrorism. Just like the Patriot Act and FISA Amendments Act, which have been used by the NSA to create mass domestic surveillance databases of millions of innocent people, the terrorism law in the UK declares the power to stop and question may be exercised without suspicion of involvement in terrorism.
The NSA stories published by Greenwald and others have prompted an unprecedented debate in the US about the governments vast surveillance powers, and major reforms now seem likely to pass Congress. Maybe this incident will spark renewed outrage over Britain terrorism law, which thousands of innocent people have been subject to, and laws permitting suspicion-less border searches in general.
Ironically, this incident comes the same day as a long profile in New York Times Magazine of Poitras, who has shamefully been the subject of similar harassment at the border by the US for years, solely because she produces journalism that the United States government apparently does not like. Its unknown whether the US had any involvement in the detention of Miranda but questions should be asked as to what they knew and when.
In the meantime, the UK government owes Mr. Miranda a prompt apology, return of the property they stole from him, and assurances it wont happen again.
https://pressfreedomfoundation.org/blog/2013/08/investigating-acts-journalism-under-terrorism-laws-hallmark-authoritarian-regimes
tumtum
(438 posts)and "requested" that this person be "detained" under the anti terror law?
This was a reprehensible use of intimidation.
MjolnirTime
(1,800 posts)Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)sheshe2
(83,654 posts)At Sun Aug 18, 2013, 11:21 PM an alert was sent on the following post:
You're really going to go into hysterics when they bring Glenn in.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3486380
REASON FOR ALERT:
This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=aboutus#communitystandards" target="_blank">Community Standards</a>.)
ALERTER'S COMMENTS:
This is clearly sexist bigotry.
You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Sun Aug 18, 2013, 11:29 PM, and the Jury voted 0-6 to LEAVE IT.
Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: I don't see anything actionable here
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: Clearly it isn't sexist bigotry.
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: How is this sexist bigotry? You don't think it's been said to the males on DU? The post is snarky and obnoxious but not sexist bigotry IMP.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: It's not "clearly" sexist bigotry - it sounds like there may be a history here for which you have failed to provide links or further information. The comment is rude but I don't find it over the top.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: I'm sorry, but the "sexist bigotry" is not clear to me at all. I see no reason to hide this post.
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: Oh please! A sexist bigot????
Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)Sexist bigotry?
sheshe2
(83,654 posts)That's all they got!
I was #6~
Cali_D
cui bono
(19,926 posts)I don't understand the intention of your post.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)Start going into "hysterics" about this kind of thing, it might be time to realize you're on the wrong side of history.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)LondonReign2
(5,213 posts)of a journalist that printed something you don't like?
Good to know.
And yet you complain when labeled an authoritarian.
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)Consider Iraq as a warning to the world.
Rex
(65,616 posts)I bet you very few people on this board remember that.
Downwinder
(12,869 posts)I could not remember the names of journalists imprisoned.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)journalists who were in their hotel, one a Spanish journalist, there to cover the crime that is Iraq.
And I remember shots being fired at a journalist who was at Abu Ghraib filming the prison after the torture scandal was exposed.
I also remember the assault on Ashley Banfield, who had been an 'embedded' (that word is creepy in the Orwellian sense imo) journalist in Afghanistan merely for stating that she was not permitted to show the real effects 'when our bombs fell', only the glorious images of our righteous army. She disappeared from TV for years before we found out why.
I also remember the cancellation of Donohue's show, the most highly rated show on the air, the day after his audience gave a standing ovation to Scott Ritter when he explained why he knew they were lying about the WMDs.
I remember a lot. I also remember that no Democrat I know ever supported Bush's Patriot Act or his illegal Surveillance Programs.
That led me to wrong conclusion about our party, as we have now found out.
TBF
(32,006 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)the abuses that have been perpetrated in its name.
Shame, once again. on the Puppets in the UK, now showing their puppet status for the third time in their willingness to do the bidding of the US regarding Wikileaks, Morales, and now this. Not these are the only incidents, their crimes in Iraq are also not forgotten.
What a stupid thing to do, never mind how outrageous to see the Western 'democracies' acting like the former Soviet Union.