Greenwald and Miranda urge British government to return seized property

Criado em 21/08/13 11h12 e atualizado em 21/08/13 16h38
Por Cristina Indio do Brasil Edição:Fábio Massalli / Nira Foster Fonte:Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro – The legal counsels of Brazilian national David Miranda and The Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald have filed a formal request urging the London courts to prevent the British government from accessing data from the electronic equipment seized from Miranda at Heathrow Airport in London. The suit was filed at London courts on Tuesday (August 20).

Greenwald's partner, Miranda, was detained for questioning and held for nine hours while in transit through London from Berlin to his home in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (August 18). He had flown to Germany as a courier of materials between US film-maker Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald, who lives with him in Rio. Poitras and Greenwald had collaborated in reporting on an electronic espionage scheme mounted by the US government, based on confidential data and documents leaked by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden.

“I'm filing this complaint to say that what [the London Metropolitan Police] did to David was illegal, in order to prohibit them from using the materials they've seized, and tell them they can't share it with anybody – including the United States –, and to demand that they return everything immediately,” said Glenn Greenwald in an interview to Agência Brasil.

Greenwald also told Agência Brasil that the questions asked to his partner were not about terrorism. “It's plain clear to me that what they did was completely illegal. Under the law, they can investigate if somebody has links with a terrorist organization, but they didn't ask any of this to David. The interrogation focused on me, Laura, and The Guardian. I'm sure that's also what British courts will say,” Greenwald pondered.

British authorities justified Miranda's detainment based on Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which entitles local police to detain anybody on UK borders for up to nine hours, with no explanations. Miranda was held for eight hours and fifty-five minutes and then released. Also under the provisions, the detainee must answer all questions even if not in the presence of their lawyer. Any refusal or non-cooperation for any reason whatsoever is considered a crime.

Edition: Fábio Massalli / Nira Foster
Translation: Mayra Borges / Olga Bardawil