MOSCOW (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko — Williams' statement comes after German bloggers writing for Netzpolitik.org faced treason allegations after they quoted secret documents from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution detailing plans to extend illegal online surveillance practices. The probe into German reporters activity was halted after protests had been held in their support.
"Free speech and a free press should not be sacrificed in the name of government secrecy. Open reporting on matters of public concern, such as a government's mass surveillance plans, is essential to a democratic society."
In early July, WikiLeaks uncovered secret documents revealing that the United States spied on three German chancellors — Helmut Kohl, Gerhard Schroeder and Angela Merkel — as well as a number of other federal government officials staring from at least the 1990s.
Williams added that it was unclear to him why the German authorities have put more attention to the investigation of Netzpolitik.org activity than to the activities of the US National Security Agency in Germany.
The revelation followed an April 2015 high-profile espionage scandal, which erupted after German media revealed that country’s intelligence service BND was spying on residents in the European Union, including in Germany, at the behest of the NSA.
