The United Nations will launch an investigation into the massive surveillance programs of American and British intelligence agencies following revelations from US whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The Guardian reported the UN special rapporteur Ben Emmerson will investigate the use of secret programs to store and analyze billions of emails, phone calls and text messages from around the world by the US National Security Agency and its UK counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
The inquiry will then make a series of recommendations to the UN general assembly next year, according to the report.
Emmerson said that the media had a duty and right to publish stories about the activities of the NSA and GCHQ.
“The astonishing suggestion that this sort of responsible journalism can somehow be equated with aiding and abetting terrorism needs to be scotched decisively,” said Emmerson, who has been the UN’s leading voice on counter-terrorism and human rights since 2011.
“When it comes to assessing the balance that must be struck between maintaining secrecy and exposing information in the public interest there are often borderline cases. This isn’t one of them. The Guardian’s revelations are precisely the sort of information that a free press is supposed to reveal,” he added.
“It is the role of a free press to hold governments to account, and yet there have even been outrageous suggestions from some [British] Conservative MPs that the Guardian should face a criminal investigation. It has been disheartening to see some tabloids giving prominence to this nonsense.”
Over the last six months the Guardian, along with other international media organizations, has revealed the existence of mass surveillance programs by the NSA and GCHQ, citing leaked documents provided by Snowden.
AHT/AGB
Source: Press TV