Friday, June 14, 2013

Prism revelations: Home Office warns airlines not to fly NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to Britain

Carriers who fly him to the UK are told they face fines and the costs of his detention - The Independent

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has powers to turn away foreign nationals whose presence in the UK is deemed “detrimental to the public good”. The Home Office refused to comment on the letter sent out by the Risk and Liaison Overseas Network, part of UK Border Agency.

But a British official confirmed its authenticity and told Associated Press it was dispatched to airlines. It is not clear if other governments had issued similar warnings to carriers. Civil liberties groups will today protest in Hong Kong in support of Mr Snowden.

The European Commissioner for Justice Viviane Reding said yesterday US security measures should not be conducted at the expense of the public’s rights. She said there were still “fundamental issues” over the use of Prism against targets in Europe.