German government attacks bloggers exposing Internet censorship as ‘traitors’

This video says about itself:

German spy leaks website being investigated

30 July 2015

Germany’s federal prosecutors are investigating whether a website has committed treason.

Netzpolitik.org reported on plans to expand the country’s domestic surveillance of online communication earlier in the year.

The site says it has received a letter from prosecutors announcing the probe against two of its journalists and an unidentified source.

Translated from NOS TV in the Netherlands:

German prosecutor investigates ‘treason’ by journalists

Today, 19:36

The German Public Prosecution Service is investigating two journalists for possible treason. The two have published on their blog excerpts from secret documents of the Stasi.

Stasi? Well, Google Translate translated as ‘Stasi’ here. However, that was the name of the secret service of the late German Democratic Republic, disbanded in 1990. While the NOS means one of the present secret services of the German Federal Republic, the Verfassungsschutz. Different name? Yes. Different practice? Not always so sure.

The investigation should find out whether the publications in the blog Netzpolitik.org also revealed actual state secrets. In two articles, which were published in February and April, they described plans to expand the surveillance of the Internet. The articles are based on leaked documents.

The investigation focuses on editor Mark Beckedahl, editor Andre Meister and the sources for the articles. Journalists call it an intimidation attempt and an attack on press freedom. “It’s quite long ago that Germany acted against journalists and their sources like this.”

Germany halts treason inquiry into journalists after protests. ‘For the good of media freedom’, Germany’s prosecutor general suspends investigation into reporters who said state planned to boost surveillance: here.

PROSECUTORS dropped their treason investigation of two journalists yesterday, defusing a free-speech crisis at the heart of the German government. Markus Beckedahl and Andre Meister, who had reported on secret plans to expand online surveillance in Germany, were notified via website Netzpolitik.org in July by its founder that they were under investigation, prompting widespread criticism from free-speech advocates: here.

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