By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 4 -- Even after a National Security Agency document leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden showed that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's talking points for meeting President Barack Obama this year were spied on, Ban's spokesperson Farhan Haq had no new comment on Monday.
Inner City Press asked spokesperson Haq if Ban or the UN have any comment on the United Kingdom charging David Miranda with "terrorism" for transporting encrypted NSA documents.
Haq said the UN hasn't seen the basis of the charge. But it is online:
"Additionally the disclosure, or threat of disclosure, is designed to influence a government and is made for the purpose of promoting a political or ideological cause. This therefore falls within the definition of terrorism..."
Inner City Press read this out loud to Haq at Monday's UN noon briefing. He still had no specific comment, beyond a generic statement that journalists should be able to work their work, suggesting that Inner City Press should "ask UNESCO."
Ban has previously said that Snowden misused information and his position -- then claimed this was in a "private" meeting with Icelandic parliamentarians. Inner City Press has asked: who's misused?
It's worth noting that, at least as to Ethiopia, the UN system's Navi Pillay has previously criticized the use of anti-terrorism laws against journalists. Will the UN say that when the United Kingdom, with its Permanent seat on the Security Council, does it? Watch this site.
