The international press freedom group Reporters Without Borders has
condemned a police raid on the offices of the "National Indigenous
Times" newspaper in Canberra.
Federal police raided the paper last Thursday on the orders of the
Office of the Prime Minister, after it published a story about proposed
Aboriginal welfare reform that was based upon leaked documents.
Reporters Without Borders says it has obtained information suggesting
police had a warrant to seize two official documents leaked to the
newspaper, but instead took six.
The group also says the raid compromised the paper's ability to protect
its sources, and thereby compromised an essential component of
investigative journalism.
The group has sent a letter to Prime Minister John Howard expressing
concern over the raid and calling for those responsible to be sanctioned. |
