1 May 2006

Alert

Two journalists indicted for reporting on Iraq intelligence


Incident details

Michael Bjerre, Jesper Larsen

journalist(s)

legal action
(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

DENMARK: Two journalists indicted for reporting on Iraq intelligence

New York, May 1, 2006 - The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the criminal charges brought against two Danish reporters accused of leaking state secrets by publishing intelligence reports that questioned the existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Danish journalists say it is the first time that reporters have been indicted in their country for leaking state secrets, Agence France-Presse reported.

A state prosecutor announced April 27 that Michael Bjerre and Jesper Larsen of the conservative Copenhagen daily Berlingske Tidende had been charged in connection with a series of articles published between February and March of 2004 that said the Danish Intelligence Service had found no evidence that ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The articles embarrassed Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen by showing that he had ignored the assessments of his own intelligence service to support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Bjerre and Larsen face up to two years in prison if convicted, AFP said.

"Journalists have a duty to publish information of such obvious public interest, and should not be criminally charged for leaks from government agencies," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. "We call on the state prosecutor to drop all charges against our colleagues Michael Bjerre and Jesper Larsen immediately."

Berlingske Tidende editor-in-chief Niels Lunde said the newspaper had the right to publish the classified information, and he expects his reporters to be acquitted, the state broadcaster Danmarks Radio reported.

Frank Grevil, an intelligence officer who admitted leaking the reports to Bjerre and Jesper, spent four months in prison after being convicted in November 2004.

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information on Denmark, visit http://www.cpj.org



Source:

Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave., 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
info (@) cpj.org
Phone: +1 212 465 1004
Fax: +1 212 465 9568
 

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More on this case

WAN hails victory for press freedom as court acquits journalists of disclosing Iraq intelligence secrets 5 December 2006 IFJ testifies in defence of journalists accused of publishing government secrets in reports on Iraq 16 November 2006 Three journalists charged with "harming state security", face possible two-year prison sentence 13 November 2006 Two journalists charged with publishing confidential military information 27 April 2004 Two journalists face charges over publication of leaked documents 20 April 2004

Denmark

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