The site published an article in February detailing how Germany’s domestic intelligence agency wanted additional funds to increase its online surveillance programs.
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“Investigating the acclaimed media outlet netzpolitik.org as accomplices in treason charges is a direct attack on freedom of the press, which we thought was outlawed with the Constitutional Court ruling in the Cicero case 2007”.
“The investigation will be paused until the expert report comes in”, Federal Prosecutor Harald Range told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily newspaper. German authorities on Thursday opened an investigation into the website’s bloggers, Markus Beckedahl and Andre Meister, as well as an unidentified third party, accusing them of treason, according to news reports. The media also voiced their opinions, stating that the investigation was an attack on freedom of speech. German media immediately reported the incident of treason as being the first in over 50 years.
A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office also commented in regard to the investigation.
The April follow-up was about the spy agency’s efforts to set up a special unit to monitor social networking websites. The news platform, which is financed by voluntary donations, was reported to have received thousands of euros as a sign of support.
“From the very beginning, the charges against our alleged source(s) were politically motivated and targeted to crush the necessary public debate about Internet surveillance post-Snowden”, wrote Netzpolitik’s Anna Biselli in a statement on the site.
It added: “Whistleblowers acting in the public interest need protection, not prosecution as traitors.” netzpolitik.org said that next week it was due to receive an award for its innovative and distinct journalism from the German government and industry, and said: “We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated by the investigations and we will continue our critical and independent journalism – including with original documents”.
Justice Minister Heiko Maas stated he informed the chief federal prosecutor on Friday that he doubts the leaked paperwork cited within the web site’s reporting constituted a “state secret” whose publication would endanger Germany’s safety.
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German lawyers have now demanded the abolition of the charge of treason for journalists.
