UN Experts To UK: National Security Concerns Must Never Justify Intimidating Journalists

United Nations independent experts on freedom of expression and on human rights and counter-terrorism today announced that they have requested information from the United Kingdom government on the recent detention of David Miranda, partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald at Heathrow Airport, London, and the reported destruction of computer hard drives by British officials at the Guardian newspaper.

“The protection of national security secrets must never be used as an excuse to intimidate the press into silence and backing off from its crucial work in the clarification of human rights violations,” the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, said in a release. “The press plays a central role in the clarification of human rights abuses.”

“It is clear that the revelations on the extensive mass surveillance initiatives implemented by some Governments needs to be widely debated,” La Rue said. “The intimidation of journalists and newspapers questioning alleged abuses by intelligence bodies is certainly not a contribution to the open debate that needs to [take] place.”

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Ben Emmerson, added that current assessments of the threat posed by terrorism in the United Kingdom have changed significantly in profile over the past three years. “There should now be a debate on the extent to which the public in both States is prepared to tolerate official access to meta data,” he stressed.

“The powers used in this case are currently under challenge in the European Court of Human Rights,” Emmerson said. “I urge the British authorities to review their operations to ensure that they comply fully with the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights regarding the right to liberty and security, and the right to respect for private and family life.”

La Rue also emphasised the importance of ensuring full protection to journalists performing their investigative work. “Under no circumstances, journalists, members of the media, or civil society organizations who have access to classified information on an alleged violation of human rights should be subjected to intimidation and subsequent punishment,” he said.

A full report from June 2013 is available here or here.