MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
PM Cameron’s office was ‘kept abreast’ with the decision to detain Greenwald’s partner
The Prime Minister’s office, 10 Downing Street, was “kept abreast” of the decision to detain David Miranda, the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald who has written about US and British surveillance programs based on leaks by Edward Snowden, a spokesperson has revealed. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesSeems fairly clear that material in Snowden's possession may have been being transported by Miranda. Interestingly, it appears that Miranda is not only Greenwald's “partner” but was travelling on his behalf. And all paid for by the Guardian! And Miranda's period of “detention” wouldn't have been so long except that he insisted on choosing his own lawyer. Who took eight hours to arrive. Wish him luck in challenging the legality of his detention. Especially as the Home Secretary and the President of the United States were advised before he was detained. Will he be returning to the UK for the “challenge”? Might be an idea to contact the lawyer before getting on the plane.
Aug 21st, 2013 - 07:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0Seems fairly clear that material in Snowden's possession was NOT being transported by Miranda.
Aug 21st, 2013 - 07:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0If it had been, Miranda would be already have been rendered to some suitably quiet location overseas like Gitmo, for a gentle de-briefing.
@2 You have lost the plot. Shame. I always enjoyed your posts even though we didn't always agree but your paranoid over-reaction is unbecoming.
Aug 21st, 2013 - 10:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0Despite pretty much everyone involved confirming Miranda was carrying information from Snowden via Germany to Greenwald in Brazil the authorities released him once they had confiscated the sensitive data. (Not quite sure why they took his gameboy but then again I have never understood why grown men need children's toys). So, no, the mule with the stolen material was not imprisoned in Guantanamo.
So, its 30 years for the other guy,
Aug 21st, 2013 - 12:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0and walk-away-freedom for the Brasilian.
Hell, walk-away-freedom only happens if you are innocent, not guilty, Elaine.
[Lets see how this squares with the sentence of the cocaine twin mules from the UK.]
BTY, it is my understanding that Snowdon made public only the sytems used to spy on us all
... he didn't reveal terror-control programmes,
and he didn't reveal specific terror investigations.
So the embarrassment for the UK and US governments is in:
i the extent to which these nations spy on their own people,
ii the extent to which they reciprocally amass, with agreement, data on each other's country and their people, to circumvent their own national laws, and
iii the extent to which they spy on other countries - especially friendly Brasil, friendly Germany, and all the other good guys.
There is no evidence at all in the public domain that he revealed things that furthered the cause of 'terrorism' ... as the UK Home Secretary well knows.
And they took his GameBoy because the spooks watched Skyfall, and they know that intercontinental ballistic microdots travel the world most conveniently in kiddies games.
No, Elaine, I am not anti-British by any means but I am powerfully anti-Government/establishment when they play games well beyond the rights and rules that we give them. They are not called public *servants* for nothing, and it is MY RIGHTS that they are riding roughshod over.
And as for the Gitmo tease - where do you think that Miranda would have been really taken for his 'de-briefing', had evidence been really found in his luggage? Dock Green?
“Evenin' all”
Geoff, again, way over the top. I don't want to get into spat with you when clearly you are so incensed by this event that you think it is infringing on your rights all the way over there in Brazil.
Aug 21st, 2013 - 01:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Walk-away freedom happens when there is no reason to hold a person further. That is not to say he was not carrying anything that should not fall into the hands of 'enemies' or vengeful journalists that cannot behave professionally. My understanding is that everyone involved admits he was carrying files to hand to Greenwald. The Guardian editor says he does not know what the files contained. And why do you think The Guardian volunteered to destroy the evidence in their offices if they were not concerned about breaking the law? This is the paper that stood up to Murdoch.
Why shouldn't governments spy on their own people and other countries. Do the badies dress as villains like in the movies? How do you know if your own people are not badies? Look at how Manning and Snowden betrayed their country. They betrayed positions of trust and broke the law. Laws are made to serve society.
Snowden and Greenwald have not, as yet, revealed all they have stolen. They have both said they have so much more to tell. I don't want them to blab but to shut up and go away. The police did NOT act outside the law that has been around for 13 years. It was introduced by Blair's government for very good reasons.
Spying is as old as society and has evolved with the advances in technology. Do you think if the guys we entrust with keeping us safe play nice the terrorists would too? I don't. And whilst I have never watched a Bond movie I suspect the writers did not invent the idea of hiding data in video games but the spooks did. I saw something similar in a Will Smith movie but I was in fact trying to lighten my post by joking about boys and their toys.
I still do not get your 'tease' about the British police taking anyone to Guantanamo to question them. Could you give me an example?
UK is a lapdog of the US. Good to read that many morons approve that.
Aug 21st, 2013 - 01:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0these “terrorism acts” both in the US and the UK are so arbitrary its not even funny.
Aug 21st, 2013 - 03:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@3. i too wouldn't have been surprised if he had ended up it Gitmo. a few years ago the london police shot down a brazilian civilian traveling in the tube because someone decided he could be a terrorist. not sure why you think its such a far stretched notion.
lol just recently the US forced down evo morales presidential aircraft traveling through europe such has become their level of paranoia and the UK has shown time and again how willing they are to comply with america's human rights abuses and total disregard to international norms.
Hi Elaine,
Aug 21st, 2013 - 04:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I can understand why you take the Government's position; if you are still in post it is sensible to do so.
I also used to believe in 'my country, right or wrong', but the more I age, the more I see that even a great and honourable Britain has bent too many little rules when it has suited them and the USA so to do.
In my lifetime the name Blair has been attached to a lot of British bending but his circumstances were those created by Bush the Younger.
You ask for an example:
- extraordinary rendition does not disappear just because it was found out .. it just goes below the radar.
Countries under stress seem to do extraordinary things,
and there is no doubt that the UK and US establishments are under extraordinary stress now their spying excesses are out in the open,
... and how long ago was it that Obama promised to get rid of Gitmo?
@8. as a foreigner, today, i would be scared shit to be detained in an airport in either the UK or the US. especially for a whole 9 hours like this person was. and i am a white christian.
Aug 21st, 2013 - 04:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0these terrorist laws that they now arbitrary apply give me as much reassurance as being held up in a pakistani detention center.
guilty until proven innocent is what these countries now preach under their new laws. you can be shot at, sent to gitmo, or detained indefinitely and in the best of circumstances, your family might get informed of your situation and whereabouts.
If I was a foreigner carrying stolen classified material through an American or British airport, I would be shit scared too!
Aug 22nd, 2013 - 11:28 am - Link - Report abuse 0Then again, I would not be that bloody stupid! Moron, what the hell did he think was going to happen? An escort to the VIP Lounge with the security services carrying his bags for him.
#10 ... so true!
Aug 22nd, 2013 - 12:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I imagine the Section 7 detainees are selected with less 'selectivity' than the way the British bobbies applied the 'sus laws' (using section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 as a 'catch-all').
Even so, I'll bet it is statistically better to be called Joe Smith than it is to be called Mohamud, and better to have pale skin and blue eyes.
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