http://uk.news.yahoo.com/...
I for one, find this kind of astounding.
LONDON (Reuters) - 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 U.S. and British surveillance programmes.
In a column on Tuesday, 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.
Apparently long before the decision to detain David Miranda and confiscate his phone, laptop and memory sticks the British government has been pushing hard to staunch the leaks produced by Edward Snowden.
Their now claiming that they detained and took materials from Miranda because it could help terrorists.
The government has embarked on an aggressive offensive to justify the detention of David Miranda by suggesting that the partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald possessed “highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism”.
Amid calls from across the political spectrum for a fuller explanation of the treatment of Miranda at Heathrow after a detailed statement from the White House, the Home Office made clear that his nine-hour detention was fully justified on the grounds that he was carrying leaked documents.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government and the police have a duty to protect the public and our national security. If the police believe that an individual is in possession of highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism, then they should act and the law provides them with a framework to do that. Those who oppose this sort of action need to think about what they are condoning. This is an ongoing police inquiry so will not comment on the specifics.”
Now, Greenwald has argued that this was an act of intimidation and rather than being cowed he will be publishing documents even more aggresively including documents on England's spy system - but you have to wonder if Miranda truly was acting as a courier carrying stolen and classified data which might reveal strategies being used to identify terrorists, which, if they had in their possession could enable them to avoid detection then this isn't really about punishing Greenwald or the Guardian.
But then again, what about the 1st Amendment and the power of the Fourth Estate to reveal the truth to the populace even when that truth embarrasses governments?
Hmm..
Vyan