British Death Threats, Journalist Intimidation and Internment

international | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis

Tuesday August 20, 2013 04:33

by brionOcleirigh - AllVoices

Brutish Human Rights

The detention of David Miranda, partner of Glenn Greenwald, a Guardian journalist, at London’s Heathrow airport, coupled with death threats relayed by agents aligned with Britain's secret services, to an Irish Human Rights activist and journalist, covering the internment of Martin Corey in British Occupied Ireland, marks a new low in Britain's brutish abuse of Human Rights.

Brutish Human Rights

The detention of David Miranda, partner of Glenn Greenwald, a Guardian journalist, at London’s Heathrow airport, coupled with death threats relayed by agents aligned with Britain's secret services, to an Irish Human Rights activist and journalist, covering the internment of Martin Corey in British Occupied Ireland, marks a new low in Britain's brutish abuse of Human Rights.

The British government needs to clarify immediately why it detained Miranda for nine hours and where these death threats to the Irish journalist were issued from, precisely . The British also confiscated the journalist's electronic equipment. The British Secret Services also need to clarify, who exactly issued these orders and death threats.

The Irish journalist, who is also a human Rights activist was told that he would be "whacked' if he did not stop covering the internment without trial of Irish political activists and in particular Martin Corey. He was also told to cease calling for a boycott of all British goods because of Human Rights abuses in British Occupied Ireland.

David Mepham, UK director at Human Rights Watch, said, “It’s incredible that Miranda was considered to be a terrorist suspect. His detention looks intended to intimidate Greenwald and other journalists who report on surveillance abuses.”

British Secret Services held Miranda at the airport for nine hours the maximum time allowed under the UK Terrorism Act of 2000. The law also allows for immigration stops, even in the absence of reasonable suspicion. Human Rights Watch has consistently criticized British terrorism laws for being overly broad, allowing police to carry out stops on British streets, without suspicion, already severely criticised, by the European Court of Human Rights.

In British Occupied Ireland perfectly innocent people are being interned without trial. In the instance of Martin Corey who has been politically interned more than three years, having being incarcerated previously for almost twenty years. While censorship of journalists, has always been a major factor in British Occupied Ireland. Greenwald and the Guardian report, that the British Secret Service at Heathrow confiscated equipment, including mobile phone, camera, laptop, , DVDs, memory sticks and consoles. Human Rights Watch have demanded that the equipment and the data be immediately returned.

Greenwald said officials questioned his partner about his extensive reporting on surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA). Greenwald said his partner Miranda, was in transit to his home in Brazil after being in Berlin, where he had stayed with a journalist colleague on the NSA story. The Guardian newspapers said it paid for the trip.

The UK director of Human Rights Watch, also said; “UK lawmakers should urgently demand answers from the government. Who authorized this detention and was it at the request of the United States? Parliament should also review this power to determine whether it is inherently abusive of rights.The confiscation of Miranda’s equipment seems a flagrant misuse of the UK Terrorism Act to snoop on the legitimate work of a journalist.”

British State Terrorism has already been involved in the murder of journalists, Human Rights Lawyers, police men and women, soldiers and politicians in Ireland.Because of these considerable Human Rights abuses by the British Government over a considerable number of years there are now calls for an international Boycott of all British goods and services. The publ;ic are asked for their help to publicize this Boycott by resharing on Facebook and re-tweeting the Boycott.