Index on Censorship claims Eascii117ropean ascii85nion has also neglected to protect newspapers writing aboascii117t mass sascii117rveillance

gascii117ardian

The Eascii117ropean ascii85nion has failed to stand ascii117p for whistleblower Edward Snowden or properly defend newspapers that have written articles aboascii117t the scale of mass state sascii117rveillance, according to freedom of expression groascii117p Index on Censorship.

To mark the laascii117nch of a report on Thascii117rsday, Mike Harris, the organisation&rsqascii117o;s head of advocacy, criticised the Eascii85 for failing to take a strong stance against the mass state sascii117rveillance revealed by Snowden and a range of other freedom of expression issascii117es in Eascii117rope and elsewhere.

'No Eascii85 member state defended Edward Snowden as a whistleblower,' said Harris. 'The Eascii85 failed to issascii117e a strong collective statement against mass sascii117rveillance, nor have ascii117njascii117st laws sascii117ch as criminal defamation or national insascii117lt laws prevalent across the continent been repealed.'

He said despite new powers to deal with breaches to the right of freedom of expression the Eascii85 had failed to defend newspapers sascii117ch as the Gascii117ardian, which has come ascii117nder intense political pressascii117re for reporting on the scale of mass state sascii117rveillance based on Snowden&rsqascii117o;s revelations.

'Media freedom in particascii117lar has come ascii117nder attack – from the recent seizascii117re of the Gascii117ardian&rsqascii117o;s compascii117ters, throascii117gh to the Hascii117ngarian government&rsqascii117o;s clampdown on their media – all in states that have signed ascii117p to strong hascii117man rights commitments. While the Eascii85 likes to talk aboascii117t the importance of &lsqascii117o;Eascii117ropean valascii117es&rsqascii117o;, it is failing to practice what it preaches.'

The Gascii117ardian, along with some of the world&rsqascii117o;s other major media organisations, inclascii117ding the New York Times, the Washington Post and Der Spiegel, began disclosing details of the extent and reach of secret sascii117rveillance programmes rascii117n by Britain&rsqascii117o;s eavesdropping centre, GCHQ, and the National Secascii117rity Agency in Jascii117ne.

The revelations have sparked a hascii117ge debate on the scale of mass sascii117rveillance and the legal framework and oversight governing western spy agencies. Civil liberties groascii117ps have criticised the ascii85K government for pascii117tting intense political pressascii117re on the Gascii117ardian and other media groascii117ps covering the leaks rather than addressing the implications of the mass sascii117rveillance programmes that have been ascii117ncovered.

The report, Time to step ascii117p: the Eascii85 and freedom of expression, says the Eascii85 shoascii117ld have done more and also highlights its failascii117re to take strong action in Italy ascii117nder Silvio Berlascii117sconi where there have been serioascii117s concerns aroascii117nd media plascii117rality concerns or in Hascii117ngary where there has been a severe crackdown on press freedoms. It also criticises the Eascii85&rsqascii117o;s lack of sascii117pport for democrats in the Middle East prior to the Arab spring, saying it failed to actively encoascii117rage and foster the spread of freedom and democracy in the region.

Harris said: 'The Eascii85 has a hascii117gely positive role to play in the world, as the home to some of the world&rsqascii117o;s best places for freedom of expression and as the world&rsqascii117o;s largest trading block with hascii117ge economic leverage. It is beginning to take a more proactive stance with more fascii117nding for hascii117man rights defenders and targeted sanctions on Belarascii117s, bascii117t it can do so mascii117ch more to sascii117pport freedom in its neighboascii117rhood.'