MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
The Guardian forced by UK government to destroy Snowden material
“You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back” a government official told Rusbridger on the phone The British authorities forced the Guardian newspaper to destroy material leaked by Edward Snowden, its editor has revealed, calling it a “pointless” move that would not prevent further reporting on US and British surveillance programs.
In a column published on Tuesday, editor Alan Rusbridger said he had received a call from a government official a month ago who told him: “You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back.” The paper had been threatened with legal action if it did not comply.
Later, two “security experts” from the secretive Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had visited the paper's London offices and watched as computer hard drives containing Snowden material were reduced to mangled bits of metal.
Rusbridger said the “bizarre” episode and the detention at London's Heathrow airport on Sunday of the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald showed press freedom was under threat in Britain.
The nine-hour detention under an anti-terrorism law of David Miranda, Greenwald's Brazilian partner, has caused a furore with Brazil, British opposition politicians, human rights lawyers and press freedom watchdogs among those denouncing it.
Greenwald was the first journalist to publish US and British intelligence secrets leaked by Snowden, the former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who is wanted in the United States and has found temporary asylum in Russia.
Top Comments
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Read all commentsSo now add censorship to the list.
Aug 20th, 2013 - 09:59 pm 0Freedom of the press always has boundaries.
Aug 20th, 2013 - 10:00 pm 0The Guardian seems to believe that those boundaries should be pushed further. Now while I am all for boundaries being tested and pushed further, they cannot be pushed past some boundaries set by other laws.
If freedoms are so under threat in the UK, then I suggest The Guardian relocate its offices to Russia and then question exactly how much freedom they then have.
All the players in this drama have made choices to do what they are doing. However they should not complain if those choices are not accepted or liked by governments affected.
As long as governments act within their laws then I have no issue. So far not a single person has shown where the UK government has acted outside the law.
“Guardian destroys stolen classified materila to avoid prosecution.”
Aug 21st, 2013 - 12:33 am 0Why let the truth get in the way of a good headline.
If the RAG thought for a single second they could legally keeep it, they would.
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