Katharine Gun, a British former government employee, now faces two years imprisonment in England for the "crime" of telling the truth. She is charged with leaking an embarrassing U.S. intelligence memo indicating that the U.S. was spying on U.N. delegations in early 2003 in an effort to win approval of the Iraq war resolution. The leaked memo was big news in parts of the world.
England has no First Amendment that might protect Ms. Gun. It does have a repressive Official Secrets Act, under which she is being prosecuted by the Blair government.
Background on the Gun case is provided below:
IPA News Releases
"Prominent Americans Support British Whistleblower" (1/29/04) http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR012904.htm
"New York Times Column Today Shines Light on British Whistleblower" (1/19/04) http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR011904.htm
"Former British Cabinet Minister Decries Prosecution of Whistleblower" (12/17/03) http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR121703a.htm
Selected News Reports
"Woman's Lawyers Fight to Lift GCHQ Gag," Guardian, 1/20/04 http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foi/story/0,9061,1126897,00.html
"U.S. Stars Hail Iraq War Whistleblower," Observer, 1/18/04 http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1125813,00.html
"Official Secrets" by J.F.O. McAllister, Time http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901040202-582283,00.html
Columns
"Leak Against this War" by Daniel Ellsberg, Guardian, 1/27/04 http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0127-03.htm
"A Single Conscience v. the State" by Bob Herbert, New York Times, 1/19/04 http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0119-10.htm
"For Telling the Truth" by Norman Solomon, Baltimore Sun, 12/14/03 http://www.accuracy.org/NS121403.htm
Documents
Original Observer story:
"Revealed: U.S. Dirty Tricks to Win Vote on Iraq War," 3/2/03 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905936,00.html
Text of the NSA Memo http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905954,00.html
Background on the Gun case from Liberty, the British civil liberties group defending Katharine.
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/issues/katharine-gun.shtml
Letters of support for Katharine Gun can now be sent to: kthgun@yahoo.co.uk.
Institute for Public Accuracy: http://www.accuracy.org
England has no First Amendment that might protect Ms. Gun. It does have a repressive Official Secrets Act, under which she is being prosecuted by the Blair government.
Background on the Gun case is provided below:
IPA News Releases
"Prominent Americans Support British Whistleblower" (1/29/04) http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR012904.htm
"New York Times Column Today Shines Light on British Whistleblower" (1/19/04) http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR011904.htm
"Former British Cabinet Minister Decries Prosecution of Whistleblower" (12/17/03) http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR121703a.htm
Selected News Reports
"Woman's Lawyers Fight to Lift GCHQ Gag," Guardian, 1/20/04 http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foi/story/0,9061,1126897,00.html
"U.S. Stars Hail Iraq War Whistleblower," Observer, 1/18/04 http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1125813,00.html
"Official Secrets" by J.F.O. McAllister, Time http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901040202-582283,00.html
Columns
"Leak Against this War" by Daniel Ellsberg, Guardian, 1/27/04 http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0127-03.htm
"A Single Conscience v. the State" by Bob Herbert, New York Times, 1/19/04 http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0119-10.htm
"For Telling the Truth" by Norman Solomon, Baltimore Sun, 12/14/03 http://www.accuracy.org/NS121403.htm
Documents
Original Observer story:
"Revealed: U.S. Dirty Tricks to Win Vote on Iraq War," 3/2/03 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905936,00.html
Text of the NSA Memo http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905954,00.html
Background on the Gun case from Liberty, the British civil liberties group defending Katharine.
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/issues/katharine-gun.shtml
Letters of support for Katharine Gun can now be sent to: kthgun@yahoo.co.uk.
Institute for Public Accuracy: http://www.accuracy.org