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The government of British Prime Minister David Cameron is a threat to press freedom worldwide, says an the detention of the husband of Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian reporter who revealed that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on some US allies.
In the letter, the four editors say that
events in Great Britain over the past week give rise to deep concern. [...] We may differ on where to draw the line and strike the right balance, but we should not differ in our determination to protect an open debate about these essential questions. Also, we should stand united to protect individuals engaging in such debates.
"Let's protect press freedom!" received from Edward Snowden, the former NSA analyst, is "serious" and "risks undermining press freedom around the world." The paper further says that because the United States and the United Kingdom are among the world's most powerful countries, plus the fact they are among "the principal protectors of freedom and democracy in modern history", their attitude is all the more serious:
When regimes in China or Iran force newspapers to destroy hard drives or persecute journalists, it is because these countries are dictatorships. When we do the same thing, it is supposedly to protect democracy.
This view is shared by Norwegian daily Aftenposten: "We are deeply disappointed," the paper says in an editorial, "that a country with a proud tradition of freedom would throw out nearly all of its principles to fight terrorism." The papers all say that the British government's actions:
closely resemble those launched, without opposition, by authoritarian regimes against the media, organisations and individuals when these challenge the authorities' monopoly on power.
