Ministers’ Deputies

Notes on the Agenda

CM/Notes/1178/3.2a            10 September 2013[1]

 

1178 Meeting, 17-18 September 2013

3 Parliamentary Assembly

3.2 Written Questions by members of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Committee of Ministers

a. Written question No. 643 by Mr Nikolaj Villumsen: “Media freedom versus anti terrorism legislation”

Reference documents -

 

Action: To hold a first exchange of views on Written Question No. 643 by Mr Nikolaj Villumsen to the Committee of Ministers, reproduced below, with a view to instructing the Secretariat to prepare a draft reply.

Written Question No. 643 by Mr Nikolaj Villumsen: “Media freedom versus anti terrorism legislation”

[Doc. 13298 – 9 September 2013]

“The British authorities have put pressure on the newspaper the Guardian to hand over the files which Edward Snowden has given to the newspaper. In addition, the authorities have detained David Miranda at Heathrow Airport for several hours; Mr Miranda being the partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald who was the first to write about Edward Snowden’s revelations of the US National Security Agency’s mass surveillance.

Mr Villumsen,

To ask the Committee of Ministers,

Does the Committee of Ministers find the behavior of the British authorities in the two cases consistent with the United Kingdom’s commitments to secure media freedom?

Does the Committee of Ministers agree that anti terrorism legislation should not violate fundamental freedoms as media freedom and freedom of expression?”

 

Financing assured: YES

DRAFT DECISIONS

1178th meeting – 17-18 September 2013

 

Item 3.2a

Written Questions by members of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Committee of Ministers

a.         Written Question No. 643 by Mr Nikolaj Villumsen: “Media freedom versus anti terrorism legislation”

Decisions

The Deputies

1.         instructed the Secretariat to prepare a draft reply to Written Question No. 643 in light of the views expressed at the present meeting;

2.         agreed to resume consideration of this question at one of their forthcoming meetings.