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The Guardian Edward Snowden David Miranda

David Miranda vows to continue fighting British state as NUJ calls for public inquiry over detention ruled lawful by judges

By Angela Haggerty | Reporter

February 19, 2014 | 3 min read

David Miranda, the partner of former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, has vowed to carry on fighting his case after a British court ruled he was lawfully detained under the Terrorism Act last year following the paper’s Edward Snowden revelations.

Detention: Glenn Greenwald (left) and David Miranda

Miranda was detained for nearly nine hours at Heathrow airport in August last year, and while Lord Justice Law, Mr Justice Ouseley and Mr Justice Openshaw agreed that the incident – and seizure of his computer material – was an “indirect interference with press freedom”, they ruled that it was justified.

The incident came in the weeks after the Guardian began publishing information from US whistleblower Edward Snowden detailing the spying and surveillance operations of US and UK intelligence organisations, the NSA and GCHQ.

Speaking to new publication The Intercept, an investigative journalism service partly set up by Greenwald, Miranda said: “I will appeal this ruling, and keep appealing until the end, not because I care about what the British government calls me, but because the values of press freedom that are at stake are too important to do anything but fight until the end.”

Among Miranda’s belongings when he was stopped during a flight change between Berlin and Rio de Laneiro was an external hard drive hosting 58,000 highly classified UK intelligence documents “in order to assist the journalistic activity of Glenn Greenwald”. Miranda was held under schedule 7 of the Terrorism 2000 Act.

A statement from Guardian News & Media said: “We're disappointed by today's judgment, which means that an Act designed to defeat terrorism can now be used to catch those who are working on fundamentally important issues. The judgment takes a narrow view of what 'journalism' is in the 21st century and a very wide view of the definition of 'terrorism'. We find that disturbing.”

Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), added that the events in August had “nothing to do with the prevention of terrorism” and called for a public inquiry.

“Today’s judgement represents a serious attack on press freedom and the protection of journalists’ sources,” she said. “That can only limit the public’s right to know what is done in its name, and is a real threat to democracy.

“We believe there must be an urgent public inquiry into the use of anti-terrorism legislation as a battering ram against press freedom.”

However, Scotland Yard’s national counter-terrorism coordinator, Helen Ball, insisted the incident was not an attack on journalistic freedom and said the court ruling was a “clear vindication” of the police’s conduct.

The Guardian Edward Snowden David Miranda

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