MOSCOW (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko — Last week, the German federal attorney general’s office launched a probe into two Netzpolitik journalists on charges of treason, as they quoted secret documents detailing plans to extend government online surveillance practices. The treason investigation was suspended amid public outcry.
"This investigation should never have taken place. It’s clear that the journalists’ reporting was in the public interest, given that it exposed an extremely invasive government plan to spy on the private Internet and social media activities of law-abiding citizens," David Christopher said.
Earlier Tuesday, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas dismissed Federal Attorney General Harald Range, saying the latter had misrepresented ministry actions on the treason case.
The revelations took place just months after German media revealed that the country's intelligence agency, BND, had provided technical assistance to the US National Security Agency in mass surveillance in Europe.
