Reporters Sans Frontières

Published on 23 June 2009

Reporters Without Borders hails a Northern Ireland court’s decision that journalist Suzanne Breen (photo, The Guardian). should not be forced to surrender interview notes and other information she obtained about the Real IRA, an outlawed paramilitary group that claimed responsibility for an attack on a British army barracks in March.

Belfast judge Tom Burgess ruled on 18 June that Breen’s life would be at risk she was made to hand over her information to the police.

“This is an important victory for press freedom because the protection of sources is one of the keystones of investigative journalism, which all democracies need,” Reporters Without Borders said. “This ruling sets a very useful precedent.”

The protection of sources is recognised by a British law of 2000 governing freedom of information, and by article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Northern Ireland police asked the court in May to force Breen, the Northern Ireland correspondent of the Dublin-based Sunday Tribune newspaper, to surrender all her notes from an interview she had with Real IRA members about its 7 March attack on the British Army’s Massereene Barracks in Northern Ireland, in which two British soldiers were killed.

Breen would have faced up to five years in prison if she had refused a court order to surrender her information.

“I think Judge Burgess has gone further than any other judge in recognising the confidentiality of sources,” said Breen, adding the police application to the court “was a complete waste of time, resources and of taxpayers’ money.” The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) hailed the decision as a victory for journalism and civil liberties.

Journalists of many nationalities had expressed their support for Breen. More than 5,000 individuals and organisations including Reporters Without Borders had signed a petition organised by the NUJ calling for the dismissal of the proceedings against her.