'UK gov't might not be protecting rights of its citizens at all' - expert

David Miranda was detained at Heathrow Airport under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. It says that a constable "may if necessary use reasonable force" and may retain whatever material or property seized "for so long as is necessary in all the circumstances".

Clearly, the laws passed in the UK following 9/11 with the aim of facilitating anti-terrorism efforts are rather broad. Now, they are being exploited by the authorities for purposes that have nothing to do with protecting the British citizens, Jo Glanville, editor at the Free Word Centre, told VoR.

While the British legislature is helpful in some instances and could serve to protect UK citizens from certain threats, it definitely should not be used to target journalists and restrict the activity of the press. That’s according to Charlie Beckett, a media expert with the London School of Economics.

Following Miranda’s detention, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger posted an article on the British paper’s website, saying the British government threatened to take legal action against the newspaper unless they stop revealing leaks from the former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. After weeks of pressure and threats, UK officials raided the newspaper’s London office and destroyed hard drives containing classified information about to be revealed, a measure that hardly fits the criteria of protecting the rights and freedoms of British citizens.

The UK government might actually not be protecting the rights of its citizens at all, doing everything it can to keep the public from finding out, according to John Zangas, a freelance journalist and human rights activist who was speaking in an interview with Voice of Russia.

After taking the UK government to court, David Miranda has been granted a limited injunction to stop the government and police "inspecting, copying or sharing" data seized from him during his detention at Heathrow airport. One can only hope that other journalists will follow in Miranda’s footsteps and stand up for the freedom of press when an opportunity to do so arises.