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Partner of Guardian's Snowden Reporter Detained Under Terrorism Act

Posted by samzenpus on from the papers-please dept.

hydrofix writes "The partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has written a series of stories revealing mass surveillance programs by the National Security Agency (NSA), was held for almost nine hours on Sunday by UK authorities as he passed through the Heathrow airport on his way home to Rio de Janeiro. David Miranda was stopped by officers and informed that he would be questioned under the Terrorism Act 2000. The 28-year-old was held for nine hours, the maximum the law allows before officers must release or formally arrest the individual. According to official figures, most examinations last under an hour, and only one in 2,000 people detained are kept for more than six hours. Miranda was released without charge, but officials confiscated electronics including his mobile phone, laptop, camera, memory sticks, DVDs and games consoles. 'This is a profound attack on press freedoms [...] to detain my partner for a full nine hours while denying him a lawyer, and then seize large amounts of his possessions, is clearly intended to send a message of intimidation to those of us who have been reporting on the NSA and GCHQ,' Greenwald commented."

20 of 426 comments (clear)

  1. Update the constitution by fey000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Land of the Free(*).

    *Conditions may apply.

    1. Re:Update the constitution by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You also need a vigilant citizenry.

    2. Re:Update the constitution by AxeTheMax · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It can be revised all you like but it won't do any good if you have a corrupt police (secret service?) who know their job is to protect their masters in Westminster and Washington.

    3. Re:Update the constitution by currently_awake · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There is a legal limit on detaining suspects without charging them, there should be a legal limit on taking their stuff without charging them. Without a time limit, it's just theft.

    4. Re:Update the constitution by sumdumass · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What does the USA have to do with this. This happened in the UK by UK agents using a UK law that was written pre 9/11.

    5. Re:Update the constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The implicit assumption is that they detained him for reasons related to Greenwald's publication of US secret documents. Considering the close relationship between the intelligence communties of the two countries, that seems likely.

    6. Re:Update the constitution by Spottywot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Land of the Free(*).

      *Conditions may apply.

      Yup this is the UK where we have a general belief that some freedom would be quite nice, but in reality our democracy is a bit half arsed due to trying to keep the spoiled bastards called Royalty happy, and no constitution of any kind that would let us call ourselves the 'land of the free'. No-one can really be bothered to get angry about our freedoms being constantly erroded because most of the mainstream media are already aware of the giant boot stamping on our faces and know that if they report about it then it will stamp on their faces a bit more if they do. This article is a case in point.

      On the subject of 1984 people often don't realise that the book wasn't George Orwells vision of the future, it was his view of Britain at that time i.e 1948, he just reversed the last two numbers of the year.

      --
      In a cybernetic fit of rage she pissed off to another age...
    7. Re: Update the constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "that showed GCHQ was basically being partially funded by the NSA"

      Which, again, involves the U.S.

      Thanks for making the point.

    8. Re:Update the constitution by shentino · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Quite right. This is the same crap the TSA can get away with on travelers who can't afford to miss a flight on a non refundable plane ticket.

      As long as what they're confiscating is worth less than the opportunity cost of missing the flight, people will give up their stuff rather than stay behind.

  2. Re:"Partner" by sribe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's Glenn's own word [theguardian.com]! I'm in a civil union with my "partner" and I don't particularly mind this term. Although I agree it can be confusing, most of the time people get what you mean by context. When I marry him this November, i'll call him my "husband" but not before then. You can blame the homophobes for creating this dual tier of unions but it does exist and I might as well use the proper confusing term as much as possible to emphasize just how idiotic it was that until just recently I couldn't get married.

    And in a written article, without any context to convey whether this is a personal or business relationship, the term "life partner" would be much better.

  3. Damn Journalists by Fuzzums · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They're the worst kind of terrorist. Fighting with Pen And Truth and using the internet as IED and WMD.

    The loyal ones write about what the government want you to believe.
    Then there is a bunch of them that write about oil spills and the banking system.
    But the worst are those that turn against their government and write the truth.

    --
    Privacy is terrorism.
  4. Re:Not a journalist, so not protected... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Being the 'partner' of a journalist does not entitle you to the normal freedoms of actually being a member of the press

    No, but he's still entitled to the normal freedoms of being a fucking human being.

  5. Enough with the euphemisms! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "David Miranda [...] was held for almost nine hours on Sunday by UK authorities [...] the maximum the law allows before officers must release or formally arrest the individual."

    If direct, honest language were used, rather than euphemisms aimed at making the evil sound innocuous, the news report would say that Miranda was "abducted and held prisoner" for nine hours, not that he was merely "detained" or "held".

    "Miranda was released without charge, but officials confiscated electronics including his mobile phone, laptop, camera, memory sticks, DVDs and games consoles."

    In other words, after nine hours of intimidation, they robbed Miranda of several thousand dollars worth of his personal property.

    It's clear who the criminals are here, who are the true menace to society.

  6. As an American ... by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Papers, please.

    Brought to you by the same people who entertained you with "Destroyed the Village to Save It" and "Fighting for Peace"

    ... it hurts me every time people point out the truth of my country, and, it hurts me MORE when I realize that there is NOTHING I could do to change the situation

    Indeed, my country is turning, from the best country in the world, into a terrifying state

    My heart hurts, man, when I realize that, I, as an American, can't do shit to change the course of my own country

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:As an American ... by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Insightful

      my country is turning, from the best country in the world, into a terrifying state

      My heart hurts, man, when I realize that, I, as an American, can't do shit to change the course of my own country

      Even more scary is that this is a British person detained in a British airport for reporting on something the USA is denying.

      --
      No sig today...
  7. ... but if everything does this ... by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nonsense. Vote small (independent) and buy small (independent). Your actions won't count for much but if everyone does this ....money won't control politics regardless of the opinion of SCOTUS.

    ..."but if everyone does this" ?

    Sir, I do not know which world you live in, but the world which I am from, the scenario that you have outlined WILL NOT HAPPEN, not when the vast majority of my fellow Americans prefer keep their sheeple status

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re: ... but if everything does this ... by s.petry · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Stop whining and take action. Of course nothing changes while you claim defeat and do nothing. Grow a pair already! Yes it is going to take hard work to force change. You will have to talk to people, petition, and vote.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  8. ... grow a pair ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    even after you managed to grow yourself TEN THOUSAND PAIRS you still ain't gonna do no shit to the Government of the United States of America

    they are so entrenched and they have EVERY PART of the system working for them

    plus, even if the citizenry of the USA give a fuck, who are they going to vote for ?

    i mean, what choice do they have in the polling station ?

    vote Republicans ?

    vote Democrats ?

    vote alternative ? which alternative ??

    1. Re:... grow a pair ? by rtfa-troll · · Score: 4, Insightful

      even after you managed to grow yourself TEN THOUSAND PAIRS you still ain't gonna do no shit to the Government of the United States of America

      they are so entrenched and they have EVERY PART of the system working for them

      This is what "they" have placed in your head to dis-empower you. By telling you that you can only vote for mainstream parties, the big parties avoid getting any competition. You should do it anyway just in order not to be a collaborator.

      plus, even if the citizenry of the USA give a fuck, who are they going to vote for ?

      i mean, what choice do they have in the polling station ?

      vote Republicans ?

      vote Democrats ?

      vote alternative ? which alternative ??

      Any alternative. Libertarian; Green; Californian Independence Party; Beer Party. Anything. Every vote for an alternative is a long term threat which shows people are unhappy. It builds up alternative parties by giving them money. It makes politicians from mainstream parties take an interest in your views and try to get you back. This gives a chance that change for the worse will slow.

      The worst thing is to give up.

      --
      =~ s,(.*),<sarcasm>$1</sarcasm>,g if any_point_you_wish();
  9. Re:Not a journalist, so not protected... by aristotle-dude · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Apparently he is a journalist but he is also a human being so he has human rights that stem from the fact that he is a human being.

    --
    Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.