NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS DO NOT JUSTIFY CURBING PRESS FREEDOMS IN UK, SAY UN EXPERTS

From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 4 Sep 2013 11:00:00 -0400
Subject: NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS DO NOT JUSTIFY CURBING PRESS
FREEDOMS IN UK, SAY UN EXPERTS
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS DO NOT JUSTIFY CURBING PRESS FREEDOMS IN
UK, SAY UN EXPERTSNew York, Sep 4 2013 11:00AMTwo United Nations
independent experts today called on the United Kingdom to ensure
journalists can perform investigative work without fear of
intimidation, and stressed that national security concerns do not
justify curtailing press freedom.

"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
Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue,
said. "The press plays a central role in the clarification of human
rights abuses."

Mr. La Rue and the Special Rapporteur on human rights and
counter-terrorism, Ben Emmerson, requested further information from
the UK on the recent detention of David Miranda, partner of Guardian
journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has broken several stories on
surveillance activities carried out by various Governments.

Mr. Miranda was detained at Heathrow Airport in London last month for
nine hours under the UK Terrorism Act 2000, which gives police with
the power to arrest and detain a person without charge for up to 48
hours if they are suspected of being a terrorist. British officials
also destroyed computer hard drives at the <i>Guardian</i> newspaper.

"It is clear that the revelations on the extensive mass surveillance
initiatives implemented by some Governments need to be widely
debated," Mr. 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 place."

Mr. Emmerson added that current assessments of the threat posed by
terrorism in the UK have changed significantly 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," Mr. 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."

Mr. La Rue expressed grave concern regarding the widespread use of
mass surveillance in all regions of the world and its impact on human
rights defenders and journalists' activities.

"National laws regulating communications surveillance are often
inadequate or simply do not exist today," he said. "Privacy and
freedom of expression are interdependent rights – without adequate
protection to privacy, security and anonymity of communications, no
one can be sure that his or her private communications are not under
States' scrutiny."Sep 4 2013 11:00AM
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