09 March 2020
Katharine Gun, a former GCHQ official who was targeted for prosecution under the UK Official Secrets Act, explains the need for whistle-blowing to hold the British state to account.
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"In November 2003, I was charged with a breach of the Official Secrets Act in the UK. My ‘crime’ had been to reveal an email from the US National Security Agency (NSA) to Britain's intelligence agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) where I was working at the time.
The email, which arrived on 31 January 2003, specified a US operation to target the home and office communications of six foreign diplomats on the UN Security Council. The purpose was to use the information gathered to strong-arm those states into voting for a resolution supporting an invasion of Iraq."
UK: Britain’s secret state and the need for whistle-blowing (Daily Maverick, link)
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