The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal secretly granted permission to MI5 and MI6 to spy on journalists and lawyers, in ways that violate attorney-client privilege.
The documents were made public as a result of a legal case brought against the British government by Libyan families who allege that they were subjected to extraordinary rendition and torture in a joint British-American operation that took place in 2004. After revelations about mass surveillance from National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden last year, the families launched another case alleging that their communications with lawyers at human rights group Reprieve may have been spied on by the government, hindering their ability to receive a fair trial.
In a statement on Thursday, Reprieve's legal director Cori Crider said that the new disclosures raised "troubling implications for the whole British justice system" and questioned how frequently the government had used its spy powers for unfair advantage in court.
"It's now clear the intelligence agencies have been eavesdropping on lawyer-client conversations for years," Crider said. "Today's question is not whether, but how much, they have rigged the game in their favor in the ongoing court case over torture."
British Spies Are Free to Target Lawyers and Journalists [Ryan Gallagher/The Intercept]
(via /.)
(Image: Snark Barrister, Public Domain)
